200 Huch et al., Po2 and Pco2 monitoring • r Continuous Po2 and Pco2 Moni tor ing in the Neonate

The technique for measuring 2 transcutaneously (tcPoz) is n°w well accepted in routine intensive care of the newborn wh i l e Pco2 (tcPco2) is just being introduced. It is an appropriate time to determine the Potential va lue of both electrodes and what problems remain to be solved wi th the tcPeo2 electrode. tcPco2 Although we reported the first successful attempts to measure Pco2 transcutaneously on adults in 1973 ( 1) , the technique has not reached widespread cl inical use. There are obviously still problems to obtain a predictable and dependable relat ionship between tcPco2 and Paco2-Problems are both technical and physiological. Hopefully these can be overcome in the future. From the physiological point of view it is important to stress that the c l i n i c a l l y interesting ränge for Pco2 is much smaller than for Po2 · So, in pr inc ip le, the accuracy and reproducibi l i ty of the technique has to b