How One NICU Cut Blood Gas Draws by 50%—and Built Clinical Trust in Transcutaneous CO₂ Monitoring

In the Fall 2025 issue of Neonatal Intensive Care, the NICU team at Woman’s Hospital shares how they reintroduced transcutaneous CO₂ monitoring (tcPCO₂) as part of a broader harm-reduction initiative, reducing invasive blood gas draws by half while improving care for extremely premature infants.

Plan. Do. Study. Act.

"You plan out the change you're going to make—for us, that was to implement monitors on all of our babies—then we wrote out the process and did it. We collected data. We studied it. If we found that parts of the protocol were not being followed, we'd go back, meet, make a decision and ask: 'What can we do about that?' And then we'd make the change; we'd act. You can do that with any process." 

– Mark Schorr, RRT, Woman's Hospital  

This in-depth Q&A and quality improvement report highlights:

  • Why continuous CO₂ monitoring matters for fragile neonatal patients
  • The lessons learned from a first failed attempt at adoption—and how they successfully tried again
  • How multidisciplinary collaboration between RTs and nurses created a more cohesive, less harmful care environment

  • Steps they took to develop protocols, overcome resistance, and make sustainable change 

  • Their 50% reduction in blood gas draws—and what that means for the future of neonatal care 

Meet the tCOM+

Developed with care, designed for confidence.

The tCOM+ offers continuous monitoring of tcPCO2, SpO2, and PR with a sleek new look and feel. This latest model includes significant software advances that improve workflow for providers, while continuing to support reduced blood draws and proactive ventilator management across care areas.

tCOM-device-angled

Stay up-to-date with Sentec


Related Posts

  • Sentec Article

    Carbon Dioxide Monitoring in Neonatal Patients

    Learn why continuous carbon dioxide (CO₂) monitoring is critical in neonatal care. Discover how transcutaneous CO₂ monitoring helps clinicians detect fluctuations, support brain and lung protection, and reduce the need for invasive blood draws in NICU patients.

  • Sentec Article

    Protecting the Preterm Brain: The Role of CO2 in the First 72 Hours

    Learn how continuous transcutaneous CO₂ monitoring supports neuroprotection in preterm infants by helping maintain stable CO₂ levels during the critical first 72 hours.

  • Sentec Article

    Methods of Monitoring Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the NICU

    Learn how CO2 is monitored in the NICU. Compare arterial blood gas, end-tidal CO2, and transcutaneous monitoring to support precise neonatal ventilation management.