Intrathoracic Airway Closure Impacts CO2 Signal and Delivered Ventilation during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Rationale: End-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) is used to monitor cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but it can be affected by intrathoracic airway closure. Chest compressions induce oscillations in expired CO2, and this could reflect variable degrees of airway patency.Objectives: To understand the impact of airway closure during CPR, and the relationship between the capnogram shape, airway closure, and delivered ventilation.Methods: This study had three parts: 1) a clinical study analyzing capnograms after intubation in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest receiving continuous chest compressions, 2) a bench model, and 3) experiments with human cadavers. For 2 and 3, a constant CO2 flow was added in the lung to simulate CO2 production. Capnograms similar to clinical recordings were obtained and different ventilator settings tested. EtCO2 was compared with alveolar CO2 (bench). An airway opening index was used to quantify chest compression–induced expired CO2 oscillations in all three clinical and experimental...