In New Study EMMA™ Capnograph Has Comparable Accuracy to Sidestream Capnography Against Gold-Standard Blood Gas Analysis

Masimo MASI announced today that in a new study that compared the end tidal carbon dioxide values (EtCO2) from both the Masimo EMMA capnograph and a conventional sidestream capnography device to the gold-standard carbon dioxide measurement, arterial blood gas (PaCO2), EMMA produced "reliable" values and had similar accuracy as sidestream capnography.1 This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151112005734/en/ EMMA resuscitator in use. (Photo: Business Wire) EMMA resuscitator in use. (Photo: Business Wire) Carbon dioxide levels in the blood reflect the degree of gas exchange occurring in the lungs and provide a critical indicator of cardio-respiratory function that aids in the assessment of the adequacy of ventilation. PaCO2 is considered the gold standard to measure carbon dioxide levels but requires invasive blood sampling and laboratory analysis that can provide intermittent and delayed measurements. EtCO2 monitoring with capnography provides a noninvasive and continuous estimate of PaCO2 and has become a standard of care in the operating room and other critical care areas.2 Since 2010, the American Heart Association (AHA) has recommended the use of EtCO2 during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for "confirmation and monitoring of endotracheal tube placement."3 Conventional capnography monitors require warm-up time to calibrate and measure EtCO2 from a sampling line connected to the breathing circuit. In contrast to bulkier and slower-to-calibrate sidestream capnography monitors, the EMMA is a compact and lightweight mainstream capnograph that clips directly onto the breathing circuit with no sampling line and minimal warm-up time. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing by Dr. Kyung Woo Kim and colleagues from Seoul Park Hospital, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, compared 100 EtCO2 values from both the EMMA and sidestream capnography (Datex Ohmeda S5 Anesthesia Monitor) in 35 patients undergoing general anesthesia to PaCO2 values measured from blood gas analysis (GEM Premier 3000) of simultaneously collected arterial blood samples. Compared to PaCO2, EMMA had a bias of 6.0 mm Hg with a percent error of 18% and sidestream capnography had a bias of 3.8 mm Hg with a percent error of 20%. The authors concluded "EMMA capnometers are viable and lighter weight alternatives to legacy capnometers, as they produce capnographs and reliable EtCO2 values rapidly despite their small size and light weight." The authors also noted that "the data used in this study were only collected in situations of stable and normal respiration under general anesthesia," and "that the limitations affecting the prediction of the PaCO2 values are in accordance with the condition of the patient." For more information on the EMMA capnograph, go to www.masimo.com. @MasimoInnovates | #Masimo Kim (et al.), Comparison of end-tidal CO2 measured by transportable capnometer (EMMA capnograph) and arterial pCO2 in general anesthesia. J Clin Monit Comput 2015; published online. ASA Standards for Basic Anesthetic Monitoring. 2011. Field (et al.), Part 1: executive summary: 2010 American Heart Associated ion guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care. Circulation 2010; 122: S640-56.