Respiratory Monitoring and Instrumentation

Abstract

The American Society of Anesthesia Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring and the Practice Guidelines for Postanesthetic Care stress the importance and necessity of respiratory monitoring during anesthesia to ensure adequate oxygenation and adequate ventilation. Respiratory monitoring represents a continuous real-time evaluation of the patient’s physiology and is essential in assisting clinical decision-making and ensuring patient safety. This chapter discusses spirometry as well as different monitoring instruments for assessing ventilation and oxygenation. A brief history of each monitoring instrument is outlined. This review contains 8 figures, 2 tables, and 8 references. Key Words: capnography, co-oximetry, expired gas concentration, flow-volume loops, infrared absorption spectroscopy, inspiratory pressure, mass spectroscopy, pulse oximetry, Raman scattering, spirometry