Vital signs

End-tidal CO₂

For education. Check every result.

Anatium is a study resource, not medical advice. Nothing here is a diagnosis, a prescription or a substitute for a clinician who has seen the patient. Check every number against a current local protocol before it touches anyone, and never act on a result you cannot reproduce yourself.

Reference range

Range35 to 45 mmHg

About

Exhaled carbon dioxide. Confirms an airway is in the trachea, and its shape and value track ventilation and cardiac output during resuscitation.

When it is low

Hypocapnia (<35): Hyperventilation, PE, cardiac arrest (poor perfusion), circuit leak

When it is high

Hypercapnia (>45): Hypoventilation, COPD, sedation, airway obstruction, MH

How it is measured

Reflects ventilation and perfusion. Waveform shape important. Normal ~5 less than PaCO₂.

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