Comparative efficacy of apneic oxygenation with face mask versus face mask alone pre-oxygenation to Prevent desaturation during endotracheal intubation of elective Pediatric surgical patients at St. Peter hospital, Addis Ababa Ethiopia:A single center prospective cohort study

Background

Apneic oxygenation using a nasal cannula is used to deliver oxygen continuously during the apneic period of endotracheal intubation to prevent desaturation. Pre-oxygenation using face mask alone technique may be insufficient to provide a safe apnea period in pediatric patients who are at high risk for rapid desaturation compared to added apneic oxygenation. This study compared the efficacy of apneic oxygenation with a face mask (AO) versus a face mask alone (FMA) pre-oxygenation to prevent desaturation during endotracheal intubation in elective pediatric surgical patients.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted on two equal groups of elective pediatric patients observed in either use of apneic oxygenation with a face mask (AO) or face mask alone(FMA) pre-oxygenation during endotracheal intubation at the study hospital from early December 2021 to late March 2022. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The primary outcome variable was the desaturation SpO₂ (<94%) observed during endotracheal intubation. The categorical data were analyzed using a χ2-test. Parametric data were analyzed using an independent t-test or one-way ANOVA as appropriate with a 95% CI and a p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The Bonferroni post hoc analysis was employed to test the significance of means between the groups.

Results

The mean desaturation level was (SpO₂ = 95.74 ± 2.99) in apneic oxygenation with face-mask group and (SpO₂ = 93.96 ± 3.74) in the face-mask alone group(p = 0.006) with medium effect size (Cohan's d = 0.06). A one-way ANOVA showed a statistically significant difference in the mean (±SD) of desaturation level with the number of attempts at endotracheal intubation within the groups (P = 0.005). The Bonferroni pairwise comparison within groups, showed that the mean (±SD) desaturation level during endotracheal intubation for the participant with >2 attempts is significantly lower than for participants with only 1 attempt (p-value = 0.004).

Conclusion and recommendation

A continuous administration of apneic oxygenation (5-l/min) by nasal cannula during endotracheal intubation significantly reduced desaturation in pediatrics. We recommend the use of apneic oxygenation (AO) in pediatrics during intubation time.