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2.6 Monitoring CO
2
, Respiration Rate, and the ETCO
2
Waveform
(Model 623xx)
The lower trace displays the ETCO
2
waveform, although you can display Impedance Respiration, ECG,
or SpO
2
in its place if desired. The CO
2
measurement is shown above the right end of the trace, and
Respiration Rate appears on the left. You can set alarm limits for both of these measurements.
What is displayed – In the Atlas Monitor model
623xx, one of the lower trace alternatives to the
cascading ECG includes the CO
2
waveform. The
Respiration Rate is displayed above the left end
of this trace. Carbon Dioxide concentration
is
displayed above the right end of the trace. CO
2
can be displayed in units of %, mmHg, or kPa.
There are high and low alarm levels for
Respiration Rate and for CO
2
concentration.
Note: the watertrap must be installed for the CO
2
displays to be active. If the watertrap is not
installed, the Atlas Monitor will display
cascading ECG.
Warning: End tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO
2
)
and breath rate measurement and alarm
capability are active ONLY when the second
trace option is set to CO
2
. Should the
operator change from viewing the ETCO
2
and breath rate waveforms and data to
another second trace selection (SpO
2
,
Respiration or ECG) the CO
2
and breath
rate monitoring and alarm capability will be
disabled. This occurs even if the watertrap
and cannula are still inserted into the
Monitor.
How it works - The CO
2
sensor is based on a
single beam, single frequency Infra-Red (IR)
source and a dual thermopile detector. CO
2
measurement is based on the IR absorption
characteristics of CO
2
molecules. The CO
2
sensor uses non-dispersive IR spectroscopy to
measure the number of CO
2
molecules present in
the sample gas. CO
2
gas has a unique absorption
band which is related to a CO
2
molecule’s
composition and mass. CO
2
gas concentration is
measured by detecting absorption in this band.
The IR absorption in the CO
2
wavelength band
may be affected by a number of factors that
skew the CO
2
measurement. The Atlas Monitor
automatically compensates for some of these
factors. Water vapor compensation accounts for
the effect that water vapor has on the IR
absorption characteristics of CO
2
molecules.
During normal sidestream operation, CO
2
measurements are adjusted mathematically to
compensate for this effect.
Alarms - When any of the CO
2
or Respiration
Rate limits are exceeded, an audible alarm
sounds and the affected measurement flashes. If
the Print On Alarm configuration is set to Yes,
this alarm will trigger an automatic print. You
can silence the CO
2
alarm, and all alarms, by
pressing the large blue
Silence button at the
right side of the instrument. This will silence all
alarms for 60, 90, or 120 seconds, depending on
the setting selected in Advanced Configuration.
However, any measurement still outside the set
limits will flash. When alarms are silenced, they
do not trigger a Print On Alarm.
To suspend both the CO
2
and Respiration Rate
alarms, press the
CO
2
/RESP ALARMS Off
button so the red LED in the button lights. A
suspended alarm will still flash if it goes outside
the range of the limits, but it will not sound the
audible alarm. When an alarm is suspended, it
will not trigger a Print On Alarm.
Note: The CO
2
and Respiration Rate alarms can
be suspended for only 3 minutes when the
language setting is configured to “Francais”.
If the language is set to any other language,
pressing the
CO
2
/RESP ALARMS Off button
will suspend the alarm indefinitely.