Aim: The aim of this review was to give an overview of available data on end-tidal CO2 (etCO2 ) monitoring, also called capnometry, during neonatal transport.
Methods: Pubmed/MEDLINE database was searched using research question (capno* OR etCO2 OR detCO2 OR (['end tidal' OR 'end-tidal'] AND [CO2 OR 'carbon dioxide']) AND (neonat* OR infant* OR newborn*) AND transport*). All articles relevant to the topic were reviewed and summarised.
Results: The lack of studies relevant to neonatal transport prompted us to extend the search to capnometry in a neonatal intensive care setting. The published studies are showing conflicting results. The different study populations, technologies used to measure etCO2 , types of etCO2 sampling and the diverse sites of blood gas tests make the data unsuitable for systematic comparison.
Conclusion: Further research to obtain more data on capnometry during neonatal transport will be necessary to define precisely under what circumstances can end-tidal monitoring of CO2 be reliably used in neonates during transport and also how to interpret the measured values.
Keywords: capnometry; carbon dioxide monitoring; etCO2; mechanical ventilation; neonatal transport.
© 2023 The Authors. Acta Paediatrica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation Acta Paediatrica.