"Routine" preoxygenation before induction of and recovery from anesthesia (a safety precaution).

Since the inception of the ASA Closed Claims project, adverse respiratory events have constituted the single largest source of injury4. Just three mechanisms of injury accounted for nearly three fourths of all claims for adverse respiratory events. These mechanisms are inadequate ventilation (38%), esophageal intubation (18%) and difficult tracheal intubation (17%). Most of these adverse respiratory events (72%) are readily diagnosed by pulse oximetry and end-tidal capnography. Also, the consequent hypoxemia can be ameliorated by the “routine” preoxygenation.