Intermittent positive airway pressure to manage hypoxia during one-lung anaesthesia

The effect of intermittent positive airway pressure to the non-ventilated lung was assessed in 10 patients who desaturated during one-lung ventilation. Once their saturation fell below 95% they were given a slow inflation of 2 l/min of oxygen into the non-ventilated lung for two seconds. This was repeated every 10 seconds for five minutes or until the saturation rose to 98%, whichever was sooner. The initial mean SpO2 was 89.3% +/- 4.2%. All 10 patients had an increase in saturation. The mean saturation following intermittent positive airway pressure was 96.5% +/- 1.6% (P < 0.0001). Similarly, the mean oxygen tension rose from 67.2 +/- 12.8 mmHg to 98.9 +/- 19.8 mmHg. Intermittent positive airway pressure should be considered for patients who desaturate while undergoing one-lung ventilation.