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History of Respiratory Gas Monitoring in Anesthesia

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The Wondrous Story of Anesthesia

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Abstract

Before 1950, anesthetists assessed adequacy of ventilation by watching or rarely measuring gas volume exchange or chest movements. About 1950, infrared (IR) light absorption by CO2 was used to continuously measure expired CO2, a first real monitor of respiration. It was dubbed capnometry, and remains the basis of all respiratory gas monitors. Gaseous oxygen was first monitored in anesthetic circuits using a polarographic oxygen electrode, made available about 1960. Mass spectrometers that could continuously measure O2, CO2, N2O and anesthetic gases were rarely used until 1975 when methods were introduced to use one mass spectrometer to sequentially measure gases sampled through long catheters from many patients. In the late 1980s, infra red detectors of CO2 and anesthetic vapors were combined with polarographic O2 electrodes to make the modern operating room gas monitoring devices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Anesthesia and Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    John W. Severinghaus

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Correspondence to John W. Severinghaus .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Edmond I Eger II MD Emeritus Professor

  2. Departments of Anesthesia, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Lawrence J. Saidman MD Emeritus Professor

  3. Geoffrey Kaye Museum of Anaesthetic History, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Rod N. Westhorpe OAM, MB, BS FRCA, FANZCA Former Honorary Curator

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Severinghaus, J. (2014). History of Respiratory Gas Monitoring in Anesthesia. In: Eger II, E., Saidman, L., Westhorpe, R. (eds) The Wondrous Story of Anesthesia. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8441-7_55

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8441-7_55

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