Podcast 570: Oh no no no to O2

Contributor: Aaron Lessen, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Supplemental oxygen is not a completely benign intervention. 
• A recent meta-analysis found that O2 saturations above 96% while on supplemental O2 were associated with worse outcomes.
• Only start a patient on supplemental oxygen if absolutely necessary and aim for a goal of no higher than 96%

References

Derek K Chu, Lisa H-Y Kim, Paul J Young, Nima Zamiri, Saleh A Almenawer, Roman Jaeschke, Wojciech Szczeklik, Holger J Schünemann, John D Neary, Waleed Alhazzani. Mortality and morbidity in acutely ill adults treated with liberal versus conservative oxygen therapy (IOTA): a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet. Volume 391, Issue 10131. 2018. Pages 1693-1705,

Summarized by Will Dewispelaere, MD | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD