Abstract
There is no published study that examines oxygenation of anaesthetised patients during transport from anaesthesia induction room to operating room. Arterial oxygen saturation (S a O 2 ) was measured in twenty-five anaesthetised patients before and during transfer to an adjacent operating room and continuously recorded on a calibrated chart recorder. A telemetry ECG recorder was used to detect cardiac dysrhythmias. All anaesthetists followed their usual anaesthetic practice. Patients ventilated via face-mask and via endotracheal tube were studied. During transfer patients were either apnoeic (n = 8) or breathing room air spontaneously (n= 17) Mean S a o 2 before induction was 95.4 (SD 2.5)%, was higher after induction of anaesthesia, 98.5 (SD 1.4)% and fell after transfer, 95.7 (SD 2.6)%. A fall in S a O 2 was recorded for 21 patients. No S a O 2 value below 90% was seen. The decrease in S a O 2 was related to the time taken to transfer the patients and spontaneous ventilation (Multiple regression analysis); it was not related to the body mass index although two of the greatest decreases were seen in obese patients. Transfer time averaged 51 seconds (range: 24–97 s). No changes in cardiac rhythm were seen.
Transfer of anaesthetised patients was accompanied by variable falls in S a O 2 which related to duration of transfer and spontaneous breathing of room air and which were not associated with new dysrhythmias.