Kapnograf ( dr. Greek καπνός - smoke; γραφω - I write) - infrared spectrometer for measuring the percentage of carbon dioxide in a mixture of gases . In medicine, the device is used to measure and graphically display the carbon dioxide content in the air exhaled by the patient.
Medical Use
Carbon dioxide is dissolved in the blood and is released through the lungs during breathing. By measuring the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the exhaled air, one can estimate its amount in the patient's blood.
The body contains a physiologically determined amount of carbon dioxide (the partial pressure of 38 mmHg is considered the norm). In case of artificial lung ventilation , when the apparatus controls the patient’s breathing, it is necessary to control the ventilation mode to maintain the required level of carbon dioxide in the body. The use of a capnograph is necessary in order to avoid hypocapnia and hypercapnia .
Capnographs (and capnometers) are used in anesthesiology and resuscitation, to monitor the patient's condition during mechanical ventilation, in functional diagnostics - to determine the state of the respiratory system, in outpatient practice - to monitor sudden changes in the respiratory system ( apnea , etc.).
See also
- Keeling schedule