Pulmonary Events in ICU patients with hyperoxia: is it possible to relate arterial partial pressure of oxygen to coded diseases? A retrospective analysis

Objective

Oxygen has been used liberally in ICUs for a long time to prevent hypoxia in ICU- patients. Current evidence suggests that paO₂ >300 mmHg should be avoided, it remains uncertain whether an “optimal level” exists. We investigated how “mild” hyperoxia influences diseases and in-hospital mortality.

Design

This is a retrospective study.

Setting

112 mechanically ventilated ICU-patients were enrolled.

Patients or participants

112 ventilated patients were included and categorized into two groups based on the median paO₂ values measured in initial 24 h of mechanical ventilation: normoxia group (paO₂ ≤ 100 mmHg, n = 43) and hyperoxia group patients (paO₂ > 100 mmHg, n = 69).

Interventions

No interventions were performed.

Main variables of interest

The primary outcome was the incidence of pulmonary events, the secondary outcomes included the incidence of other new organ dysfunctions and in-hospital mortality.

Results

The baseline characteristics, such as age, body mass index, lactate levels, and severity of disease scores, were similar in both groups. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of pulmonary events, infections, and new organ dysfunctions between the groups. 27 out of 69 patients (39.1%) in the “mild” hyperoxia group and 12 out of 43 patients (27.9%) in the normoxia group died during their ICU or hospital stay (p = 0.54). The mean APACHE Score was 29.4 (SD 7.9) in the normoxia group and 30.0 (SD 6.7) in the hyperoxia group (p = 0.62).

Conclusions

We found no differences in pulmonary events, other coded diseases, and in-hospital mortality between both groups. It remains still unclear what the "best oxygen regime" is for intensive care patients.