Background: Although a high fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO 2 ) could reduce surgical site infection, there is concern it could increase postoperative pulmonary complications, including hypoxemia. Intraoperative positive end-expiratory pressure can improve postoperative pulmonary function. A practical measure of postoperative pulmonary function and the degree of hypoxemia is supplemental oxygen requirement. We performed a double-blind randomized 2 ϫ 2 factorial study on the effects of intraoperative FIO 2 0.3 versus more than 0.9 with and without positive end-expiratory pressure on the primary outcome of postoperative supplemental oxygen requirements in patients undergoing lower risk surgery. Methods: After Institutional Review Board approval and consent, 100 subjects were randomized using computer-generated lists into four treatment groups (intraoperative FIO 2 0.3 vs. more than 0.9, with and without 3-5 cm H 2 O positive end-expiratory pressure). Thirty minutes and 24 h after extubation, supplemental oxygen was discontinued. Arterial
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.