Pulse oximetry saturation levels during routine unsedated diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Pulmonary Medicine
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Diagnostic procedures constitute the majority of upper gastrointestinal endoscopies.
• Assessing oxygen saturation (SpO2) in patients undergoing unsedated gastroscopy is crucial.
• Identifying factors linked to oxygen desaturation during endoscopy is important for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the necessity of pulse oximetry monitoring during routine unsedated diagnostic gastroscopy.
• To identify factors associated with oxygen desaturation in patients undergoing unsedated gastroscopy.

Main Methods:

• Continuous pulse oximetry monitoring was performed on 330 unsedated patients.
• A control group of 154 sedated patients was included for comparison.
• Data on patient demographics, smoking status, and procedure details were collected.

Main Results:

• Sedated patients exhibited significantly lower SpO2 levels than unsedated patients (P < 0.0001).
• Only 2% of unsedated patients desaturated to ≤90% SpO2, compared to 21% of sedated patients.
• Pharyngeal examination, epiglottis visualization, and longer intubation time were associated with lower SpO2 in unsedated patients.

Conclusions:

• Pulse oximetry is not essential for routine unsedated diagnostic gastroscopy in patients without severe systemic disease.
• Oxygen desaturation is infrequent during unsedated procedures.
• Routine monitoring may not be necessary, potentially streamlining the procedure.