Verifying Correct Endotracheal Intubation by Measurement of End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide During an Ex Utero Intrapartum Treatment Procedure

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

In Brief The ex utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure provides time to secure the airway of the fetus while utero-placental circulation supplies the fetus with oxygen. We report the anesthetic management of a fetus with a large neck mass during an EXIT procedure in which the confirmation of correct endotracheal intubation was hampered by parts of the mass, blood, and other fluids. The use of a standard end-tidal carbon dioxide probe provided a reliable signal and proved the endotracheal position of the tube while utero-placental circulation was still intact. IMPLICATIONS: In a fetus with prenatally diagnosed airway obstruction it essential to secure an artificial airway while utero-placental circulation supplies the fetus with oxygen. We describe end-tidal CO2 measurement to prove endotracheal intubation during an ex utero intrapartum treatment procedure.