Many thanks go to Dr Finn Coulter for his ingeniously designed nasal ETCO2 cannula. We currently are awaiting shipment of these vital procedural sedation adjuncts… but in the meantime, in true Kiwi fashion (although strictly speaking Finn isn’t Kiwi), Finn has worked out a cheap alternative. I’ve yet to give it a go, but seemingly this works!
Step 1: cut the end off some normal ETCO2 piping…
Step 2: pierce a hole as shown in some normal nasal cannulae…
Step 3: tape the ETCO2 tubing too the outside of the nasal cannulae…
Step 4: …but poke the end of the ETCO2 piping through the hole into the nasal prong part of the cannulae. Tape accordingly.
Step 5: step back and look at your beautiful ETCO2 trace… and continue with your procedural sedation paying usual diligence to all other vital patient parameters!
Step 6: watch an episode of McGyver when you get home. It’s classic 80’s entertainment for the whole family.
Improving care in ED 