title: Use of pulse oximetry for monitoring tracheostomy tube obstruction.
abstract: Experimental studies were performed on dogs for monitoring postoperative tracheostomy tube obstruction using a pulse oximeter. While a 25% obstruction of the cross-sectional area of the tube did not alter the oxygen saturation, obstruction of 40% and above resulted in a drop in the oxygen saturation level which corresponded to the degree of obstruction. The greater the degree of obstruction, the sooner was the fall of oxygen saturation. Therefore a pulse oximeter could be effectively put to use to monitor tracheostomy tube obstruction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kainuma
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yanagita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D010092:Oximetry; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014139:Tracheostomy