• J R Mateer, D W Olson, H A Stueven, and T P Aufderheide.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
• Ann Emerg Med. 1993 Apr 1;22(4):675-9.

Study ObjectiveTo determine whether continuous pulse oximetry improves the recognition and management of hypoxemia during emergency endotracheal intubation.DesignA prospective, serial 14-month study.SettingEmergency department, Level I trauma center.Type Of ParticipantsAll adult patients requiring emergency intubation for whom data collection would not compromise patient care.InterventionsAll samples were obtained from a finger site at a five-second sampling interval and stored in computer memory. Patients were intubated by the nasotracheal or orotracheal route.Measurements And Main ResultsOne hundred ninety-one consecutive adult patients qualified for the study and 211 intubation attempts were analyzed. Hypoxemia (O2 saturation, less than 90%) occurred during an intubation attempt in 30 of 111 nonmonitored versus 15 of 100 monitored attempts (P < .05), and the duration of severe hypoxemia (O2 saturation, less than 85%) was significantly greater for nonmonitored attempts (P < .05).ConclusionContinuous pulse oximetry monitoring reduces the frequency and duration of hypoxemia associated with emergency intubation attempts.

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