Abstract
Hypoxia caused by respiratory suppression is common in post-anesthetic patients. However, a pulse oximeter is deemed insufficient for preventing postoperative hypoxia. We used an acoustic respiratory monitoring device (Rad-87) to evaluate respiratory status after general anesthesia. Respiratory depression was defined as a respiratory rate less than or equal to 8/minute for more than 120 seconds, while desaturation was defined as SpO2 less than or equal to 90%. Respiratory monitoring was feasible in 742 of 806 patients (92%). Of the 742 patients, respiratory depression was noted in 24 (3.2%) and desaturation in 207 (27.9%). These results indicate that postoperative respiratory monitoring is feasible and may provide a key aid in postoperative safety management.
