Final answer:
Capnography is used in the Emergency Department to monitor CO2 levels in the exhaled breath, aiding in the management of various respiratory conditions and confirming intubation placement. It is essential for assessing respiratory distress, procedural sedation, sleep apnea, and cases of hypoventilation or hyperventilation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Capnography is a non-invasive monitoring tool used in the Emergency Department (ED) to measure the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the exhaled breath of both intubated and non-intubated patients. It assists clinicians in assessing a patient's ventilatory status. In the ED, capnography can be particularly useful in various clinical scenarios including monitoring patients with respiratory distress, during procedural sedation, and for confirming endotracheal tube placement following intubation.
Furthermore, capnography is valuable in diagnosing and managing conditions that affect respiration such as sleep apnea, pulmonary embolism, or drug overdose. Capnography can also help to identify hypoventilation or hyperventilation that might lead to respiratory compromise, guiding timely interventions to correct underlying abnormalities before they escalate into more severe complications.