Measurement of end-tidal carbon dioxide in spontaneously breathing children after cardiac surgery.

Background: Respiratory monitoring is important after surgery to prevent pulmonary complications. End-tidal carbon dioxide (Petco(2)) measurement by capnometry is an indirect and noninvasive measurement of Pco(2) in blood and is accepted and recognized in critical care.

Objectives: To determine the correlation and level of agreement between Petco(2) and Paco(2) in spontaneously breathing children after cardiac surgery and to determine whether Petco(2) measured by using tidal volume (Vt-Petco(2)) or vital capacity (VC-Petco(2)) shows more or less significant correlation with Paco(2).