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Retrospective observational study describes arterial and end-tidal carbon dioxide discrepancies in trauma patients, suggesting diagnostic limitations.
This study aims to describe the gradient and the frequency with which the end tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO 2 ) misclassifies the arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO 2 ) in the prehospital environment. This retrospective observational study included 53 adult patients (aged ⩾ 18 years) who underwent prehospital arterial catheterisation following a traumatic mechanism who were conveyed to the regional Major Trauma Centre (MTC), 01.02.2015–17.04.2023. The PaCO 2 –EtCO 2 gradient was more than >1 kPa difference in most patients (43/53 (81.1%)) and the ETCO2 misclassified the PaCO 2 in over two-thirds of patients (38/53 (71.7%)). Overall, EtCO 2 is not a reliable surrogate for PaCO 2 during trauma.
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Hibberd et al. (2026) studied this question.
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