Implementation of Continuous Capnography Protocol in a Postanesthesia Care Unit for Adult Patients at High-risk of Postoperative Respiratory Depression.

Purpose: This project aimed to implement a continuous capnography protocol in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) for postoperative adult patients who are at high risk for respiratory failure.

Design: A preintervention and postintervention quality improvement design with retrospective chart reviews evaluated patient demographics (age, weight, body mass index [BMI], perioperative fluid intake and output, use of intraoperative positive-end expiratory pressure), length of surgery, average length of PACU stay, incidence of respiratory events, and adherence to a PACU capnography protocol.

Methods: Preimplementation data were collected from retrospective chart reviews over a 3-month period.