BACKGROUND The arterial partial pressure of O2 and the fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) ratio is widely used in ICUs as an indicator of oxygenation status. Although cardiac surgery and ICU scores can predict mortality, during the first hours after cardiac surgery few instruments are available to assess outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of PaO2/FIO2 ratio to pr...

We read with great interest the study by Hernandez and colleagues published in Critical Care [1]. The study showed that central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) increased significantly in response to emergency intubation, and the authors suggested that the early normalization of ScvO2 after intubation might not be reliable to reflect successful resuscitation. However, they might have ignored th...

To investigate the effect of increasing gestational and postnatal age on the relation between transcutaneous oxygen tension (tcPO2) and arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) 160 simultaneous measurements of tcPO2 and PaO2 tensions were made on 42 infants born at 24-41 weeks' gestation and aged 0-32 weeks from birth. Irrespective of gestational age a progressive fall in the tcPO2:PaO2 ratio with increa...

One hundred and twenty five measurements of arterial oxygen saturation (Stcao2) obtained with a transcutaneous pulse oximeter were compared with direct arterial oxygen tension (Pao2) in 13 preterm infants with predominantly fetal haemoglobin. Stcao2 of 86-92% corresponded to Pao2 of 5-13 kPa. Stcao2 above 92%, however, was sometimes associated with Pao2 above 13 kPa.

The cardiorespiratory effects of raising patients from the supine to the sitting position for neurosurgery were investigated. The change caused marked decreases in cardiac index, stroke volume, PaO2 and Qs/Qt, with a significant increase in (PAO2-PaO2) and total peripheral resistance. It is concluded that patients who maintain normotension in the sitting position do not necessarily have an adeq...

INTRODUCTION Among the various methods for improving oxygenation while decreasing the risk of ventilation-induced lung injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a ventilation strategy combining prone position (PP) and recruitment manoeuvres (RMs) can be practiced. We studied the effects on oxygenation of both RM and PP applied in early ARDS patients. METHODS We condu...

OBJECTIVE Although all definitions of acute respiratory distress syndrome use some measure of hypoxemia, neither the Berlin definition nor recently proposed pediatric-specific definitions proposed by the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference utilizing oxygenation index specify which PaO2/FIO2 or oxygenation index best categorizes lung injury. We aimed to identify variables associated...

Background: Anesthetists should measure the concentration of supplemental oxygen to determine whether patients’ partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2) is correct during general anesthesia. However, the standard PaO2 value in obese patients in the supine position is unknown. We evaluated the PaO2 with respect to the Broca-Katsura obesity index. Materials and Methods: From January 2001 to Dec...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to investigate whether in-hospital mortality was associated with the administered fraction of oxygen in inspired air (FiO2) and achieved arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2). METHODS This was a retrospective, observational study on data from the first 24 h after admission from 36,307 consecutive patients admitted to 50 Dutch intensive care units (I...