Conservative oxygen therapy in mechanically ventilated patients following cardiac arrest: A retrospective nested cohort study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In mechanically ventilated (MV) cardiac arrest (CA) survivors admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) avoidance of hypoxia is considered crucial. However, avoidance of hyperoxia may also be important. A conservative approach to oxygen therapy may reduce exposure to both. METHODS: We evaluated the introduction of conservative oxygen therapy (target SpO2 88-92% using the lowest FiO2) during MV for resuscitated CA patients admitted to the ICU. RESULTS: We studied 912 arterial blood gas (ABG) datasets: 448 ABGs from 50 'conventional' and 464 ABGs from 50 'conservative' oxygen therapy patients. Compared to the conventional group, conservative group patients had significantly lower P..