Adults with severe respiratory failure, which could result from a severe injury, sepsis, or complications from pneumonia, who need advanced breathing support receive supplemental oxygen in advance of receiving anesthesia and a breathing tube inserted into their trachea, or windpipe. Two methods, the use of a face mask or a face mask attached to a ventilator (noninvasive ventilation), are currently used.
Through a clinical research trial with more than 1,300 adults who had severe respiratory failure, researchers found 9% of adults who received noninvasive ventilation experienced significant reductions in blood oxygen levels after intubation, or advanced breathing support, compared to 18% of those who received the oxygen mask. The authors note these findings are important as smaller studies have produced mixed results. The goal of providing supplemental oxygen before intubation is to reduce risks for low blood oxygen levels that could increase risks for sudden cardiac arrest and death.
The research published in the New England Journal of Medicine and was partially supported by NHLBI and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.