Table 2. Postoperative outcomes.
| Intermittent hypoxia group (n = 68) | Continuous normoxia group (n = 68) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PaO2 (kPa)* | 24.1 (9.6) | 25.2 (8.5) | 0.502 |
| PaCO2 (kPa)* | 6.7 (0.9) | 6.7 (0.8) | 0.930 |
| Hematocrit (%) | 39.1 (4.4) | 39.0 (4.5) | 0.875 |
| Duration of chest tube drainage (day) | 3.7 (2.3) | 4.0 (3.7) | 0.620 |
| Length of stay | |||
| Post-anesthesia care unit (min) | 45.0 (16.1) (n = 49) | 44.1 (14.1) (n = 51) | 0.751 |
| Intensive care unit (h) | 22.5 (7.9) (n = 19) | 25.9 (13.2) (n = 17) | 0.347 |
| Hospital (day) | 5.0 (2.9) | 5.3 (3.7) | 0.610 |
| Adverse events | 0.507 | ||
| Atelectasis | 1 | 1 | |
| Pneumothorax | 1 | 1 | |
| Pleural effusion | 1 | 4 | |
| Prolonged air leak | 1 | 1 | |
| Atrial fibrillation | 0 | 2 | |
| Chylothorax | 0 | 1 |
Data are mean (standard deviation) or number of patients. Unpaired t-tests were used to compare PaO2, PaCO2, Hematocrit, duration of chest tube drainage, and length of stay; and a Fisher’s exact test was used to compare adverse events between groups.
*Measured while O2 was supplied via a facemask at a rate of 5 liter min-1.