Respirators used by healthcare workers due to the COVID-19 outbreak increase end-tidal carbon dioxide and fractional inspired carbon dioxide pressure

J Clin Anesth. 2020 Nov:66:109901. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinane.2020.109901. Epub 2020 May 22.

¹ Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Mersin, Turkey. Electronic address: lozdemir@mersin.edu.tr.
² Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Mersin, Turkey.

Abstract

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Due to COVID-19, compliance of manufactured respirators with standards seems to be placed in the second plan.
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Personal protective equipments (PPE), such as respirators, causes carbon dioxide re-breathing in healthcare workers.
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Even when resting, both expiratory and inspiratory carbon dioxide levels increase significantly with the use of PPE.
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It should be kept in mind that healthcare workers may experience symptoms related to hypercapnia during their use of PPE.