The World Health Organization is conducting a pilot project to study the use of pulse oximetry during surgery, hoping to make anesthesia safer for patients in the developing world and facilitate greater access to the technology, according to a WHO release.
According to the WHO release, the use of pulse oximetry for anesthesia monitoring during surgery has been a standard of care in the developed world for over 20 years. The same safety practices are not routinely implemented in the developing world, and estimates suggest that more than half of operating rooms are not equipped with pulse oximeters. Anesthesia death rates in these settings are reportedly 100-1,000 times higher than in the developed world.
The WHO created its Surgical Safety Checklist, which includes a list of steps to follow before, during and after surgery, in 2008. One of the steps involves ensuring that a pulse oximeter is on the patient and functioning.
The study will measure the effectiveness of pulse oximetry use and training by monitoring rates of hypoxemia during surgery. The research will concentrate on two hospitals in the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Zambia.
Read the WHO release on the study on pulse oximetry.
Read more on recent anesthesia news:
-Emergency Medical Services Acquires Milford Anesthesia Associates
-Anesthetic Gases Affect Climate as Much as 1M Cars Each Year
According to the WHO release, the use of pulse oximetry for anesthesia monitoring during surgery has been a standard of care in the developed world for over 20 years. The same safety practices are not routinely implemented in the developing world, and estimates suggest that more than half of operating rooms are not equipped with pulse oximeters. Anesthesia death rates in these settings are reportedly 100-1,000 times higher than in the developed world.
The WHO created its Surgical Safety Checklist, which includes a list of steps to follow before, during and after surgery, in 2008. One of the steps involves ensuring that a pulse oximeter is on the patient and functioning.
The study will measure the effectiveness of pulse oximetry use and training by monitoring rates of hypoxemia during surgery. The research will concentrate on two hospitals in the Republic of Moldova and the Republic of Zambia.
Read the WHO release on the study on pulse oximetry.
Read more on recent anesthesia news:
-Emergency Medical Services Acquires Milford Anesthesia Associates
-Anesthetic Gases Affect Climate as Much as 1M Cars Each Year