Longnecker's Anesthesiology > Part 4. Managing Anesthesia Care > Section A. Monitoring the Anesthesia Patient > Chapter 31. Monitoring Respiratory Function Dean R. Hess, PhD, RRT, and Robert M. Kacmarek, PhD, RRT

Key Points

"1. Arterial blood gases are used to assess oxygenation, ventilation, and acid–base balance.

2. The right-to-left shunt fraction is the gold standard index of oxygenation efficiency in the lungs.

3. Dead space is that portion of the minute ventilation that does not participate in gas exchange.

4. Acid–base balance is explained by the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation or the strong ion difference.

5. Arterial blood gases primarily reflect lung function, whereas venous blood gases reflect the adequacy of tissue oxygenation and tissue carbon dioxide clearance.

6. Pulse oximeters pass two wavelengths of light through a pulsating vascular bed to measure arterial oxygen saturation.

7. Capnometry is the measurement of CO₂ at the airway opening during the ventilatory cycle.

8. Transcutaneous PO₂ is measured with a Clark electrode and transcutaneous PCO₂ is measured using a Severinghaus electrode.

9. Pulmonary mechanics is the expression of lung function through measurements of pressure and flow; from these measurements a variety of derived indices can be determined, such as volume, compliance, resistance, and work of breathing.

10. The decision..."