Sequence analysis of capnography waveform abnormalities during nurse-administered procedural sedation and analgesia in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Identifying common patterns in capnography waveform abnormalities and the factors that influence these patterns could yield insights to optimize responses to sedation-induced respiratory depression. Respiratory state sequences for 102 patients who had a procedure in a cardiac catheterisation laboratory with procedural sedation and analgesia were developed by classifying each second of procedures into a state of normal breathing or other capnography waveform abnormalities based on pre-specified cut-offs for respiratory rate and end-tidal CO concentration. Hierarchical clustering identified four common patterns in respiratory state sequences, which were characterized by a predominance of the state assigned normal breathing (n = 42; 41%), hypopneic hypoventilation (n = 38; 38%), apnea (n = 15; 15%) and bradypneic hypoventilation (n = 7; 7%). A multivariable distance matrix regression model including demographic and clinical variables explained 28% of the variation in inter-individual differences in respiratory state sequences. Obstructive sleep apnea (R = 2.4%; p = 0.02), smoking status (R = 2.8%; p = 0.01), Charlson comorbidity index score (R = 2.5%; p = 0.021), peak transcutaneous carbon dioxide concentration (R = 4.1%; p = 0.002) and receiving an intervention to support respiration (R = 5.6%; p = 0.001) were significant covariates but each explained only small amounts of the variation in respiratory state sequences. Oxygen desaturation (SpO < 90%) was rare (n = 3; 3%) and not associated with respiratory state sequence trajectories.