SpCO is used to measure what in a patient assessment?

SpCO is used to measure what in a patient assessment?

• A. SpCO
• B. HbCO
• C. COHb
• D. CO2

Answer: (A)

SpCO measures the portion of hemoglobin that is bound to carbon monoxide, i.e., carboxyhemoglobin, in a noninvasive way. This reading comes from pulse CO-oximetry, which uses multiple wavelengths to distinguish HbO2, HbCO, methemoglobin, and normal deoxyhemoglobin, and then reports the percentage of hemoglobin that is bound to CO as SpCO. This is different from CO2, which is assessed by capnography as end-tidal CO2, not by the CO-oximetry reading. In practice, SpCO provides a quick bedside estimate of HbCO to screen for CO exposure and gauge poisoning risk, complementing blood tests for a precise HbCO measurement when needed.

SpCO measures the portion of hemoglobin that is bound to carbon monoxide, i.e., carboxyhemoglobin, in a noninvasive way. This reading comes from pulse CO-oximetry, which uses multiple wavelengths to distinguish HbO2, HbCO, methemoglobin, and normal deoxyhemoglobin, and then reports the percentage of hemoglobin that is bound to CO as SpCO. This is different from CO2, which is assessed by capnography as end-tidal CO2, not by the CO-oximetry reading.

In practice, SpCO provides a quick bedside estimate of HbCO to screen for CO exposure and gauge poisoning risk, complementing blood tests for a precise HbCO measurement when needed.