Detection of hypoxia in the early postoperative period

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of early postoperative hypoxia after general anesthesia and to evaluate the need of oxygen supplementation. A total of 150 patients aged between 18-60 years belonging to ASA I or II were studied. Patients were alternately allocated to two groups of 75 each. Group-I (n=75) patients received 2 L of oxygen via nasopharyngeal catheter during transfer from operation theatre to recovery room and in the recovery room for a period of 4 h. Group-II (n=75) patients did not receive oxygen either during transfer or in the recovery room. Twenty percent in Group-II developed hypoxaemia during transfer from operation theatre to recovery room out of which 24% developed mild (SaO2 86-90%), 2.66% moderate (SaO2 85-81%), and 1.33% extreme (SaO2 <76%) hypoxaemia. None of the patients in Group - I, who received oxygen supplementation, developed hypoxaemia in the early postoperative period.