Perioperative hypoxaemia detected by intermittent pulse oximetry

Perioperative pulse oximetry was performed on one hundred consecutive abdominal surgical patients to audit our management of perioperative oxygenation. Oximetry was performed preoperatively, in the recovery room, and daily in the ward until discharge or the sixth postoperative day, with prescribed oxygen therapy continuing during measurement. Twenty-nine patients had saturations of 90% or less on a total of fifty-one occasions. Twenty-nine patients were prescribed prophylactic oxygen therapy, but seven had oxygen therapy stopped prematurely and were found to have saturations of 90% or less. In this group of patients, clinical assessment of oxygenation and the need for oxygen therapy was inadequate. Intermittent oximetry is rapidly and simply performed, and by detecting patients with arterial haemoglobin desaturation, could improve oxygen prescribing in the perioperative period.