Capnography as a tool for triaging and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department: A prospective observational study

OBJECTIVES: The cornerstone of management of acidosis in a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) has traditionally been carried out by blood gas analysis, which is expensive and associated with significant risk. It is against this background that the correlation between end-tidal carbon dioxide (...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Suhrith Bhattaram, Varsha Sambhaji Shinde, Princy Panthoi Khumujam, Anjeeth Puthoor Anilkumar, Dhruva Kumar Reddy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2023-07-01
Series:Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/tjem.tjem_15_23
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1823863910541819904
author Suhrith Bhattaram
Varsha Sambhaji Shinde
Princy Panthoi Khumujam
Anjeeth Puthoor Anilkumar
Dhruva Kumar Reddy
author_facet Suhrith Bhattaram
Varsha Sambhaji Shinde
Princy Panthoi Khumujam
Anjeeth Puthoor Anilkumar
Dhruva Kumar Reddy
author_sort Suhrith Bhattaram
collection DOAJ
description OBJECTIVES: The cornerstone of management of acidosis in a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) has traditionally been carried out by blood gas analysis, which is expensive and associated with significant risk. It is against this background that the correlation between end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2), blood pH, and EtCO2 bicarbonate levels was analyzed. The predictive value of EtCO2 was also analyzed in the diagnosis of DKA. Finally, we aimed to determine the value of EtCO2 as a screening test for the exclusion of DKA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study carried out in the emergency department of a tertiary care teaching hospital from September 2020 to September 2021. Patients with suspected DKA underwent simultaneous blood gas collection and EtCO2 analysis. RESULTS: A total of 123 patients with blood sugar levels >250 mg/dl and moderate-to-large (≥2+) urine ketones were studied. A cut-off value of EtCO2 ≤24 was determined to rule in DKA with a sensitivity of 93.02% and specificity of 91.9%. EtCO2 >26 could effectively rule out the diagnosis of DKA with sensitivity of 98.8% and specificity of 75.7%. A significant linear correlation between pH and EtCO2 (P < 0.0001, r = 0.82) and HCO3 and EtCO2 (r = 0.896, P < 0.0001) was found. CONCLUSIONS: EtCO2 values ≤24 can accurately identify patients with DKA in the presence of elevated blood sugar and urinary ketones and must be considered a valuable addition to the diagnostic criteria. EtCO2 values >26 can be an effective triaging tool for ruling our DKA. A significant linear correlation between pH and EtCO2 and pH and HCO3 was observed. EtCO2 can be considered a surrogate marker for the degree of response to the treatment in DKA.
format Article
id doaj-art-4ba4401e6b244cf4b37347ad203c4dd2
institution Kabale University
issn 2452-2473
language English
publishDate 2023-07-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
record_format Article
series Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine
spelling doaj-art-4ba4401e6b244cf4b37347ad203c4dd22025-02-09T08:57:18ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsTurkish Journal of Emergency Medicine2452-24732023-07-0123316917510.4103/tjem.tjem_15_23Capnography as a tool for triaging and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department: A prospective observational studySuhrith BhattaramVarsha Sambhaji ShindePrincy Panthoi KhumujamAnjeeth Puthoor AnilkumarDhruva Kumar ReddyOBJECTIVES: The cornerstone of management of acidosis in a patient with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) has traditionally been carried out by blood gas analysis, which is expensive and associated with significant risk. It is against this background that the correlation between end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2), blood pH, and EtCO2 bicarbonate levels was analyzed. The predictive value of EtCO2 was also analyzed in the diagnosis of DKA. Finally, we aimed to determine the value of EtCO2 as a screening test for the exclusion of DKA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study carried out in the emergency department of a tertiary care teaching hospital from September 2020 to September 2021. Patients with suspected DKA underwent simultaneous blood gas collection and EtCO2 analysis. RESULTS: A total of 123 patients with blood sugar levels >250 mg/dl and moderate-to-large (≥2+) urine ketones were studied. A cut-off value of EtCO2 ≤24 was determined to rule in DKA with a sensitivity of 93.02% and specificity of 91.9%. EtCO2 >26 could effectively rule out the diagnosis of DKA with sensitivity of 98.8% and specificity of 75.7%. A significant linear correlation between pH and EtCO2 (P < 0.0001, r = 0.82) and HCO3 and EtCO2 (r = 0.896, P < 0.0001) was found. CONCLUSIONS: EtCO2 values ≤24 can accurately identify patients with DKA in the presence of elevated blood sugar and urinary ketones and must be considered a valuable addition to the diagnostic criteria. EtCO2 values >26 can be an effective triaging tool for ruling our DKA. A significant linear correlation between pH and EtCO2 and pH and HCO3 was observed. EtCO2 can be considered a surrogate marker for the degree of response to the treatment in DKA.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/tjem.tjem_15_23capnographydiabetic ketoacidosisend-tidal carbon dioxide
spellingShingle Suhrith Bhattaram
Varsha Sambhaji Shinde
Princy Panthoi Khumujam
Anjeeth Puthoor Anilkumar
Dhruva Kumar Reddy
Capnography as a tool for triaging and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department: A prospective observational study
Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine
capnography
diabetic ketoacidosis
end-tidal carbon dioxide
title Capnography as a tool for triaging and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department: A prospective observational study
title_full Capnography as a tool for triaging and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department: A prospective observational study
title_fullStr Capnography as a tool for triaging and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department: A prospective observational study
title_full_unstemmed Capnography as a tool for triaging and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department: A prospective observational study
title_short Capnography as a tool for triaging and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department: A prospective observational study
title_sort capnography as a tool for triaging and diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency department a prospective observational study
topic capnography
diabetic ketoacidosis
end-tidal carbon dioxide
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/tjem.tjem_15_23
work_keys_str_mv AT suhrithbhattaram capnographyasatoolfortriaginganddiagnosisofdiabeticketoacidosisintheemergencydepartmentaprospectiveobservationalstudy
AT varshasambhajishinde capnographyasatoolfortriaginganddiagnosisofdiabeticketoacidosisintheemergencydepartmentaprospectiveobservationalstudy
AT princypanthoikhumujam capnographyasatoolfortriaginganddiagnosisofdiabeticketoacidosisintheemergencydepartmentaprospectiveobservationalstudy
AT anjeethputhooranilkumar capnographyasatoolfortriaginganddiagnosisofdiabeticketoacidosisintheemergencydepartmentaprospectiveobservationalstudy
AT dhruvakumarreddy capnographyasatoolfortriaginganddiagnosisofdiabeticketoacidosisintheemergencydepartmentaprospectiveobservationalstudy