Effects of inspired oxygen concentration during emergence from general anaesthesia on postoperative lung impedance changes evaluated by electrical impedance tomography: a randomised controlled trial

Abstract

We evaluated the effects of three different inspired oxygen concentrations (40%, 80%, and 100%) at anaesthesia emergence on postoperative lung volumes as measured by global impedance of electrical impedance tomography (EIT). This is a randomised, controlled, and assessor-blinded study in single-centre from May 2017 to August 2017. Seventy-one patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colorectal surgery with healthy lung condition were randomly allocated into the three groups based on the concentration of inspired oxygen applied during anaesthesia emergence: 40%-, 80%- or 100%-oxygen. End-expiratory lung impedance (EELI) with normal tidal ventilation and total lung impedance (TLI) with full respiratory effort were measured preoperatively and before discharge in the post-anaesthesia care unit by EIT, and perioperative changes (the ratio of difference between preoperative and postoperative value to preoperative value) were compared among the three groups. Postoperative lung impedances were significantly reduced compared with preoperative values in all patients (P< 0.001); however, perioperative lung impedance reduction (%) did not differ among the three oxygen groups. The mean reduction ratio in each 40%-, 80%-, and 100%-oxygen group were 37% +/- 13%, 41% +/- 14%, and 46% +/- 14% for EELI (P= 0.125) and 40% +/- 20%, 44% +/- 17% and 49% +/- 20% for TLI (P= 0.276), respectively. Inspired oxygen concentrations applied during anaesthesia emergence did not show a significant difference in postoperative lung volume as measured by EIT in patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery with healthy lungs. Trial registrationcris.nih.go.kr (KCT0002642).