Transcutaneous measurements of carbon dioxide partial pressure in sick neonates.

The authors measured the partial pressure of carbon dioxide transcutaneously (PtcCO2) in 15 sick newborns and compared the PtcCO2 to simultaneously measured partial pressure of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2). The PtcCO2 values reflected changes in the PaCO2 values. A linear regression on 106 paired PtcCO2 and PaCO2 values produced a correlation coefficient of 4 = 0.91 with a slope of 1.89 and a y-intercept of --9.4. The authors found the measurement of PtcCO2 to be a clinically useful method of continuously following the trend of PaCO2.