What monitoring should be used to confirm effective CPR and assess patient response?

End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) monitoring is a reliable method to confirm effective CPR and assess patient response during resuscitation efforts. ETCO2 provides an indication of the patient’s perfusion status as well as the efficacy of chest compressions. When effective chest compressions are being performed, there is increased blood flow to the lungs, allowing for a higher level of carbon dioxide to be exhaled. Furthermore, a rise in ETCO2 levels can indicate that circulation has been restored, making it a valuable tool during and after CPR.

This method is particularly advantageous because it allows for real-time feedback, enabling the medical team to adjust their CPR technique based on the readings. The goal during CPR is to ensure high-quality compressions and ETCO2 monitoring supports assessing this quality dynamically.

Visual examination of the patient's skin color, while it can provide some observational clues about circulation, is not a quantitative or reliable method for confirming effective CPR. Heart rate and blood pressure monitoring provides important cardiovascular information but is often less effective during the immediate post-arrest phase, especially in the early moments of CPR since these values may not initially reflect resuscitation success. Continuous pulse oximetry is useful for assessing oxygenation but does not specifically quantify effectiveness of