Publication

CaVa UK has been published in Anaesthesia

The results of the CApnography VAriation (CAVA) study have been published in Anaesthesia! A huge thank you to everyone who took part, we were overwhelmed with the interest and the response.

Our findings highlight concerning levels of heterogeneity in capnography display across the UK with 36 variants across different clinical settings. This heterogeneity presents clear patient safety implications, particularly for clinicians rotating between different hospitals. Despite the Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group (SALG) recommending standardisation of waveform capnography, only 15% of waveforms conform to this standard. This highlights a significant gap between safety recommendations and clinical implementation.

Centres Signed Up

These are the centres that have signed up. If your hospital has already signed up and you'd like to get involved, please speak to the study lead in your hospital. Contact us if you need help getting in touch with them.

The Study

The CApnography VAriation (CAVA) study is a nationwide survey of capnography traces used in airway management in NHS hospitals.

Unrecognised oesophageal intubation remains an challenge in anaesthesia. In an attempt to reduce the risks, the Safe Anaesthesia Liaison Group (SALG) have considered the role of human – computer interaction focusing on the graphical user interface (GUI) of waveform capnography. They recommend that the capnograph waveform should be a white area graph at the bottom of a display where possible. A pilot study in the South East Scotland School of Anaesthesia identified eight different traces in use and only 23% of monitors were compliant with the SALG standard.

Registration for new hospitals has now closed. Thank you to the 100 hospitals across the UK taking part. Please submit your data by the 20th October.

The Plan

  • Pilot Study

    A pilot study has been completed in South East Scotland. 8 different traces were identified with only 23% complying to SALG recommendations.

  • Nationwide Survey

    A nationwide, trainee led survey of capnograph traces across the UK via the anaesthetic Trainee Research Networks.

  • Safety Improvement

    Universal change of capnograph traces to comply with the SALG standard and improve airway safety across the UK.

Documents

Useful documents to help you with your CAVA survey

People

The CAVA survey is run by a team from the SQuAResNet Trainee Research Network in South East Scotland

  • Dr Andrew Shepherd

  • Dr Jennifer Proc

  • Dr Mathew Lyons