Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
Noninvasive, continuous transcutaneous monitoring supports therapy guidance for neonatals and may lessen the need for blood gas sampling, reducing the chance of infections. Please refer to the SenTec neonatal brochure for more information.

General anesthesia/procedural sedation/surgery
For patients on high frequency or jet ventilation, the use of continuous tcPCO2 monitoring is indicated, as no reliable CO2 values can be gained from etCO2 monitoring. Sedated patients undergoing diagnostic interventions or minimally invasive surgeries are exposed to respiratory depressant drugs. The use of continuous tcPCO2 measurement, therefore, increases the safety of the patients as the ventilation status can be continuously assessed, especially in spontaneously breathing patients.

Post anesthesia care unit (PACU)
Hypoventilation and related hypercapnia is a risk for patients after general anesthesia.8 Residual amounts of respiratory depressant drugs and opioids from patient controlled analgesia (PCA) systems can critically affect ventilatory drive. The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) recommends to routinely monitor ventilation in such patients for increased safety.9 Transcutaneous PCO2 is most suitable for that task, especially in view of the aforementioned limitations of etCO2.

Pulmonology & sleep medicine
Continuous, overnight monitoring of tcPCO2 has become essential for assessing nocturnal hypoventilation, screening for hypercapnia and titration of noninvasive ventilation (NIV). SenTec monitors are connectable to most polygraphic and polysomnography systems.

Critical care for adults
Continuous transcutaneous monitoring is a promising tool to detect early changes of arterial PCO2 for patients in critical care. This is particularly valuable in guiding mechanical ventilation or monitoring patients undergoing weaning from ventilator support.

Homecare
Used under clinical supervision, the SenTec monitoring system allows detection of nocturnal hypercapnia in the patient’s
home. Data can be downloaded and sent to the referring physician for further analysis and therapy decisions.