Which device provides a real-time display of CO2 waveform to verify ventilation and airway patency?

Which device provides a real-time display of CO2 waveform to verify ventilation and airway patency?

• A. Capnography
• B. Stethoscope
• C. Spirometry
• D. Blood Pressure Monitor

Answer: (A)

Capnography provides a real-time display of CO2 in the exhaled gas, shown as a capnogram. This waveform lets you quickly verify ventilation and airway patency because CO2 appears in the breath only if air is moving into and out of the lungs and reaching the alveoli. The end-tidal CO2 reading gives a quick numerical sense of ventilation effectiveness, and changes in the waveform can signal problems like airway obstruction, disconnection, or apnea. Other devices don’t display CO2 waves: a stethoscope listens to breath sounds, spirometry measures airflow and lung volumes but not CO2, and a blood pressure monitor tracks arterial pressure. Therefore, the device that shows the CO2 waveform in real time is capnography.

Capnography provides a real-time display of CO2 in the exhaled gas, shown as a capnogram. This waveform lets you quickly verify ventilation and airway patency because CO2 appears in the breath only if air is moving into and out of the lungs and reaching the alveoli. The end-tidal CO2 reading gives a quick numerical sense of ventilation effectiveness, and changes in the waveform can signal problems like airway obstruction, disconnection, or apnea. Other devices don’t display CO2 waves: a stethoscope listens to breath sounds, spirometry measures airflow and lung volumes but not CO2, and a blood pressure monitor tracks arterial pressure. Therefore, the device that shows the CO2 waveform in real time is capnography.