[Monitoring fiberoptic intubation using non-invasive pulse oximetry]

Non-invasive measurements of oxygen saturation are attractive because continuous information is provided, which may result in improved patient care. We evaluated a new finger pulsoximeter as a measure of arterial oxygen saturation during fiberoptic intubation. Secondly, we studied the kinetics of oxygen-haemoglobin desaturation during the procedure. In 15 patients investigated, 118 simultaneous comparisons between in vivo (Pulsoximeter Nellcor N 101) and in vitro (CO-Oximeter Corning 2500) oxygen-haemoglobin saturation were made. Statistical analysis of these pooled data yielded an excellent correlation (r = 0.94, P less than 0.001). Our results demonstrate that non-invasive oxygen monitoring during fiberoptic intubation is reliable, and we detected oxygen desaturation of less than 80% if ventilation was not assisted.