Reducing Respiratory Compromise Incidence With Better Monitoring - Respiratory Compromise Institute

by Michael Wong, JD (Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

A new study from Jikei University found that better patient monitoring may help reduce respiratory compromise, according to a recent article in Anesthesiology News. The study findings, presented at the 2016 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, suggested that sending patients with obstructive sleep apnea who are undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery to the ICU for intensive monitoring during the first postoperative night improves respiratory complication–related outcomes.

The incidence and awareness of respiratory compromise outside the operating room anesthesia setting has increased significantly in recent years, according to Jeffery S. Vender, MD, clinical professor of anesthesiology at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Multiple studies have shown a higher incidence of respiratory complications outside the operating room, and have suggested that better monitoring can help to prevent a higher death rate, according to Dr. Vender.