Comparison of the effects of preoxygenation between pregnant and non-pregnant patients

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Preoxygenation is a standard anesthetic technique using 100% oxygen for the prevention of hypoxia during the induction of anesthesia. Measuring end-tidal oxygen is the most useful indicator for determining the end-point of preoxygenation. We studied the effects of preoxygenation between pregnant and non-pregnant patients during 5 min of tidal volume breathing. METHODS: Non-pregnant women who were scheduled for general surgery (Group I, n = 25) and pregnant women who were scheduled for elective cesarean section (Group II, n = 20) were explained the technique of preoxygenation, which was conducted with 100% oxygen during 5 min of tidal volume breathing. End-tidal oxygen concentration was measured at 10 sec intervals for 5 min, simultaneously. RESULTS: Group II showed significantly higher end-tidal oxygen concentration than Group I from 30 sec to 170 sec during preoxygenation (P or =90% was 110.0 +/- 31.7 sec for Group II and 152.8 +/- 34.5 sec for Group I. Therefore, Group II showed a significantly shorter time than Group I (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the time for complete preoxygenation was shorter in pregnant patients compared to non-pregnant patients.