Continuous Tidal Volume Monitoring and its Impact on Carbon Dioxide Levels in the Very Low Birth Weight Infant. Mickas NA and Van Meurs KP. J Perinatol 2000:20-469.

A retrospective analysis of 516 blood gases collected from 47 infants < 1000 grams born at a single hospital between Jan 98 and Dec 99 and ventilated with conventional mechanical ventilation during the first 24 hours of life. Thirteen infants were ventilated with tidal volume feedback, 32 were ventilated without tidal volume feedback with 2 infants changing from one mode to the other during the study period. Episodes of inadvertent hypocarbia (pCO2<35) were more common in infants in whom tidal volumes were not monitored (22% vs 4%, p<0.001). Initial ABGs more frequently had pCO2 values <35 when tidal volume monitoring was not used (45% vs 8%, p=0.03). Additionally, there was a higher percentage of ABGs falling in the taraget range (40-59) when tidal volumes were monitored (76% vs 52%, p<0.001).