A 60-year-old man on ICU has brainstem death confirmed. During the apnoea test, the PaCO2 reached 8.5 kPa (from baseline 5.0). What PaCO2 threshold mu...

Question

A 60-year-old man on ICU has brainstem death confirmed. During the apnoea test, the PaCO2 reached 8.5 kPa (from baseline 5.0). What PaCO2 threshold must be exceeded for a valid apnoea test?

Accepted Answer

PaCO2 must exceed 6.65 kPa AND rise by at least 0.5 kPa above baseline, with no respiratory effort observed - confirming absent medullary respiratory centre function

Answer

PaCO2 greater than 5.0 kPa

Answer

PaCO2 greater than 10.0 kPa

Answer

Any PaCO2 above normal

Answer

PaCO2 testing is not required

uk-fficm MCQ (SBA): Apnoea Test

A 60-year-old man on ICU has brainstem death confirmed. During the apnoea test, the PaCO2 reached 8.5 kPa (from baseline 5.0). What PaCO2 threshold must be exceeded for a valid apnoea test?