A DOPE approach to capnography
Use this strategy when applying capnography to measure the efficacy of oxygen therapy, especially when troubleshooting
Sponsored by Bound Tree
By Tim Nowak for EMS 1BrandFocus
Whenever something goes wrong with regards to an intubated patient, the acronym DOPE – for displacement, obstruction, pneumothorax and equipment failure – should pop into your mind.
But how, if your tube is already set in place, will you know that something went wrong? After all, you saw the tube pass through the vocal cords, secured it appropriately and even applied a cervical collar to the patient to help restrict movement of their head.