Neonatal Hypercapnia

1. Which of the following is a cause of hypercapnia with manual oxygenation or room air in newborns?

A.Ventilation/perfusion mismatch

B.Intracardiac or extracardiac shunt

C.Hypoventilation

D.Diffusion limitation

E.None of the above

Answer: C

Hypercapnia is primarily the result of hypoventilation. Carbon dioxide diffuses readily across the lung and is not affected by ventilation/perfusion mismatch or intracardiac or extracardiac shunting to the extent that oxygenation is affected.

reproduced by permission from emedicine.com