Apneic Oxygenation for Morbid Obese Parturient Undergoing Elective Cesarean Section Under General Anesthesia

Background: maternal obesity is a growing problem worldwide. pregnancy in addition to obesity renders these parturients markedly vulnerable to rapid desaturation during the apneic phase of anesthesia. in this study, the effects of conventional preoxygenation combined with nasal apneic oxygenation technique are compared to conventional preoxygenation alone in morbidly obese women undergoing elective cesarean sections while receiving general anesthesia.materials and methods: this prospective, randomized, controlled trial was conducted at the obstetrics and gynecology hospital of ain shams university. sixty morbid obese parturients were randomly assigned to one of two equal groups. having a body mass index (bmi) of 40 kg/m2 or higher was regarded as parturient morbid obesity. eight deep breaths of the vital capacity were taken while breathing 100% o2 at a rate of 15 l/min throughout the preoxygenation process. in conjunction with the pre-oxygenation technique each patient either received 10 l/min o2 via nasal prong (group o) or not (group c) according to the assigned group. the primary outcome was the lowest oxygen saturation recorded.results: when compared to group c, group o had significantly greater lowest spo2 during intubation and less frequent mild hypoxemia. however, maternal complications such as arrhythmias and hypotension in addition to fetal and neonatal wellness were comparable in the two groups.conclusion: in contrast to conventional preoxygenation, nasal apneic oxygenation boosted the lowest spo2 and lowered the risk of hypoxemia. accordingly, nasal apneic oxygenation during preoxygenation of a morbidly obese parturient undergoing an elective cesarean section under general anesthesia may be regarded as a practicable procedure.