Dan Med Bull
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Anesthesia related hypoxemia. The effect of pulse oximetry monitoring on perioperative events and postoperative complications.
The objectives of the present investigation were to evaluate the extent of perioperative hypoxemia and to investigate the impact of pulse oximetry monitoring on the extent of hypoxemia and on perioperative morbidity in adults. To accomplish these objectives a number of prospective studies were carried out. The incidence, duration, and severity of hypoxemia were evaluated in two single blinded observer studies in the operating room (N = 296) (I) and in the Postanesthesia Care Unit (N = 200) (II). ⋯ Several changes in PACU care were observed in association with the use of pulse oximetry. These included higher flow rates of supplemental oxygen (P < 0.00001), increased use of supplemental oxygen at discharge (P < 0.00001), and increased use of naloxone (P < 0.02). One or more postoperative complications occurred in 10% of the patients in the oximetry group and in 9.4% in the control group (NS).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)