title: Postoperative myocardial ischaemia: temporal association with nocturnal hypoxaemia.
abstract: Three patients presenting for elective aortic surgery were studied before operation and for up to 3 days after operation with ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring and nocturnal pulse oximetry. Supplementary oxygen was administered for the first 2 days after operation and withdrawn on the 3rd morning after operation. Heart rate remained increased for the first 3 days after operation. Two patients developed episodes of myocardial ischaemia during the first 48 h after operation while their arterial oxygen saturation remained greater than 90%. On the third day, and during the third night after operation, both the severity and duration of myocardial ischaemia increased markedly, associated with arterial hypoxaemia. A temporal relationship between decreases in oxygen saturation and fluctuations in ST segment level were observed in the three patients.
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headington, Oxford.
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Reeder
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Muir
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Foëx
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Smart
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology*; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen