The WHO in 2017 recommended the liberal use of oxygen — 80% inspired fraction intra and post-operatively to reduce the incidence of surgical infection in patients. 1 However, a recent large-scale, multicentric study in the US has found that excessive oxygen during surgeries can increase the risk of organ damage. The findings were based on the medical records of 350,647 patients who had undergone surgery with endotracheal intubation or general anesthesia.
Compared to patients in the 25 th percentile of oxygen level, patients with oxygen levels in the 75 th percentile had: 9% greater risk of stroke 6% greater risk of 30-day mortality 26% higher risk of acute kidney injury 12% higher risk of myocardial injury 14% higher risk of lung injury However, patients with higher oxygen levels had a slightly shorter average hospital stay. This is the first known study to highlight the clinical…
