Journal of clinical anesthesia
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Observational Study
Minute ventilation assessment in the PACU is useful to predict postoperative respiratory depression following discharge to the floor: A prospective cohort study.
Reliably identifying patients at risk for postoperative respiratory depression (RD) remains an unmet need. We hypothesized that defined low minute ventilation events (LMVe) near the end of the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) stay identifies patients at RD risk on the general hospital floor (GHF). ⋯ Minute ventilation assessment in the PACU as described in this study can be useful to identify patients at risk for postoperative respiratory depression.