The use of pulse oximetry in post-operative hypoxaemia in patients after propofol induction of anaesthesia

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Pulse oximetry was used to measure changes in oxygen saturation in the early post-operative phase in three groups of 50 patients in whom anaesthesia was induced with propofol. One group breathed room air during induction and anaesthesia was maintained with halothane whereas the other two groups both breathed oxygen during induction and anaesthesia was maintained with either halothane inhalation or a propofol infusion. In 59 patients distributed fairly evenly between the three groups the oxygen saturation fell below 90%; the mean minimum oxygen saturation was 91.7±0.3 and the mean time at which it occurred was 3.9±0.4 min after the anaesthetic was withdrawn. Neither the inhalation of oxygen during induction nor the anaesthetic technique affected the decrease in postoperative oxygen saturation but the infusion group took significantly longer to recover consciousness.