The incidence and effect on outcome of hypoxemia in hospitalized medical patients

doi:10.1016/0002-9343(94)90046-9

The American Journal of Medicine

Volume 97, Issue 1, July 1994, Pages 38-46

https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9343(94)90046-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

The effect on survival of episodic hypoxemia was prospectively studied in 100 patients hospitalized on general medicine services of a large, tertiary care, university hospital. Pulse oximetry monitoring (POM) was initiated within 24 hours of admission and was maintained for approximately 24 hours independent of patient management. Hypoxemia lasting for at least 5 consecutive minutes and resulting in an arterial oxygen saturation of less than 90% occurred in 26 of the 100 patients. No clinical characteristics were found that could reliably distinguish those patients who did develop hypoxemia from those who did not, though the small number of patients in many categories precludes drawing firm conclusions. However, severe desaturation was unlikely to occur in patients with normal chest roentgenograms. During the following 4 to 7 months, 8 patients (32%) suffering episodic hypoxemia died, while only 7 individuals (10%) without hypoxemia died, an increase in mortality that remained significant after adjustment for severity of illness. The relative risk of death associated with desaturation was 3.3 (95% CI 1.41 to 8.2). The severity of hemoglobin oxygen desaturation, expressed as the saturation-time index, correlated inversely with survival time.

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The incidence and effect on outcome of hypoxemia in hospitalized medical patients

Abstract

Critical incidents detected by pulse oximetry during anesthesia

Can J Anaesth

Hypoxaemia during anaesthesia—an observer study

Br J Anaesth

Continuous monitoring of arterial oxygen saturation with pulse oximetry during transfer to the recovery room

Anesth Analg

Hypoxaemia is reduced by pulse oximetry monitoring in the operating theatre and in the recovery room

Br J Anaesth

Effects of information feedback and pulse oximetry on the incidence of anesthesia complications

Anesthesiology

Prevention of intraoperative anesthesia accidents and related severe injury through safety monitoring

Anesthesiology

Effect of pulse oximetry, age, and ASA physical status on the frequency of patients admitted unexpectedly to a postoperative intensive care unit and the severity of their anesthesia-related complications

Anesth Analg

Pulse oximetry monitoring outside the intensive care unit: progress or problem?

Ann Intern Med

APACHE II: a severity of disease classification system

Crit Care Med

Hypoxic events in the surgical intensive care unit

Am J Surg