Dr Melissa Langhan, assistant professor of pediatrics, emergency medicine, at Yale School of Medicine, has called for the increased use of capnography to improve patient safety.
"Medical guidelines for monitoring during general anesthesia recognize the importance of monitoring with capnography," she said. "Unfortunately, continuous capnography is not routinely used outside of the operating room. Capnography can really enhance patient safety, and healthcare professionals need to think about using it more often."
The medical standards of care upheld by healthcare facilities may differ. Although hospitals typically seek accreditation from The Joint Commission, ambulatory centers can receive accreditation from a variety of organizations.
For example, the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAASF) has different standards from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
In a newly released video interview, Dr Langhan discusses patient cases where capnography improved safety and health outcomes.
The video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8sOkzXLZ0c
Dr Melissa Langhan, US, Yale School of Medicine, Capnography
