Open AccessEarly diagnosis of airway closure from pigtail signature capnogram and its management in intubated small infants undergoing general anaesthesia for surgery
Author(s) -
Sanghamitra Mishra
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
indian journal of anaesthesia/indian journal of anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.645
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 0976-2817
pISSN - 0019-5049
DOI - 10.4103/0019-5049.68379
Subject(s) - hypercarbia , medicine , airway , anesthesia , general anaesthesia , functional residual capacity , expiration , intubation , stridor , glottis , endotracheal intubation , croup , surgery , hypoxemia , lung , lung volumes , respiratory system , larynx , virology
Spontaneous glottis closure during expiration in infants is a normal protective reflex that helps prevent alveolar and small airway collapse (due to compliant chest wall) and thereby maintains functional residual capacity. Endotracheal intubation eliminates this protective mechanism and puts the infant into the risk of hypoxaemia and hypercarbia. This report sums up the early detection of airway closure in a series of three intubated small infants undergoing surgery with general anaesthesia, by the appearance of typical pigtail shaped capnogram, associated with decreased end tidal carbon dioxide and mild hypoxaemia, which was successfully managed by early institution of positive end expiratory pressure.