Capnography in the Post Anaesthesia Care Unit: A quality improvement study

Abstract

Best practice supports continuous capnography for early detection of impaired respiratory and ventilatory status in postoperative settings. The current standard of care in a United States private hospital’s postoperative unit does not include continuous capnography. This quality improvement study used a quantitative descriptive design to (1) compare capnography to the current standard of care for early detection of respiratory and/or ventilatory decline and (2) increase Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU) practitioners’ knowledge and confidence about capnography. A total of 92 retrospective electronic health records were analysed, and 15 nurses participated in the study. Results revealed earlier detection of adverse respiratory and ventilatory status, and this monitoring was accurately and safely performed by PACU nurses.