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Bedside monitors designed to continuously measure the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (tcpCO2), oxygen (tcpO2), or both at the skin surface. These monitors may use either two separate sensors or one combined tcPO2/tcPCO2 sensor that consist of a modified pH electrode, a single O2 cathode and heated reference electrode, a membrane, and an electrolyte enclosed in a shielded container; some monitors include a third sensor to measure the pH in the blood. Monitoring tcPO2 and tcPCO2 is useful to avoid hyperoxemia and hypoxemia, to assess surgical patients, and for continuous evaluation of the respiratory and metabolic status of patients.
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