Gastric and sublingual capnometry

Abstract

Tissue hypoperfusion is a common pathophysiologic process leading to multiple organ dysfunction and death. Increases in tissue PCO2 can reflect an abnormal oxygen supply to the cells, so that monitoring tissue PCO2 by the use of gastric or sublingual capnometry may help identify circulatory abnormalities and guide their correction. This review provides an update on these technologies. Gastric tonometry aims at monitoring PCO2 in the stomach, an organ that becomes ischemic quite early when the circulatory status is jeopardized. Despite substantial initial enthusiasm, this technique has never been widely implemented due to methodological problems. The measurement of sublingual mucosal PCO2 (PslCO2) by sublingual capnometry is technically simple and noninvasive. Experimental studies have suggested that PslCO2 is a reliable marker of tissue perfusion. Clinical studies have demonstrated that high PslCO2 values are associated with impaired microcirculatory blood flow and a worse prognosis in critically ill patients. Gastric tonometry was proposed for regional PCO2 monitoring, but it is prone to a number of technical limitations. Sublingual capnometry could offer a valuable alternative for tissue PCO2 monitoring in clinical practice, representing a simple, noninvasive method to monitor tissue perfusion and titrate therapeutic interventions in critically ill patients.