End-tidal carbon dioxide and resuscitation.

In this review, we attempted to summarize the effectiveness and the limitation of end-tidal carbon dioxide monitoring during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. End-tidal carbon dioxide can be an indicator of the real return of spontaneous circulation and can also be an indicator of the effectiveness of cardiac massage. We cannot, however, estimate the prognosis of cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the end-tidal carbon dioxide value. We concluded that cardiopulmonary resuscitation should never be abandoned for the sole reason that the end-tidal carbon dioxide value is low.