Frequency of Undiagnosed Hypoxia in Patients admitted in Chest wards of Nishtar Hospital Multan using pulse oximeter

Abstract

Abstract:Background: Presence of hypoxia in hospitalized patients may prove as an indicator for any serious medical problem which may have severe outcomes. In most of the patients Clinical evaluation cannot detect hypoxia, and hence, it remains unnoticed/undiagnosed in the hospital settings. In hospital settings, Undiagnosed hypoxia can prove life threatening. Proper management of hypoxia depends upon early diagnosis. The detection of hypoxia is generally difficult and is usually ignored because the clinical signs and symptoms are non-specific and are related to different underlying characteristics.Objective: to determine the frequency of undiagnosed hypoxia in patients admitted due to any medical illness in chest wards of Nishtar hospital Multan using pulse oximeter. Setting: This study was done Pulmonology Department, Nishtar Hospital Multan.Materials and Methods: A total of 309 study cases admitted in chest ward were registered in this study using non-probability consecutive sampling technique from 15-08-2015 to 15-02-2017. Informed consent was taken from each study participants and their Oxygen saturation levels were measured using pulse oximeterResults: Of these 309 study cases, 183 (59.2 %) were male and 126 (40.8 %) were female patients with their mean age of our study cases was 42.13 ± 14.46 years 165 (53.39 %) were in the range of age groups 41 to 60 years. Mean duration of hospitalization of our study cases was 3.37 ± 1.97 days. Mean Oxygen saturation rate of our study cases was 93.98 ± 4.01 percent (minimum rate was 82 % while maximum was 103 %). Mean Heart rate of our study cases was 93.69 ± 18.02 per minute.             Majority of our study cases were admitted in hospital due to Tuberculosis i.e. 104 (33.7%). Followed by those having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 68 (22%), Pleural effusion 41 (13.3%), Interstitial lung disease 35 (11.3%), pulmonary embolism and pneumonia each 18 (5.8%) and asthma 25 (8.1%). In our study cases, Hypoxia was observed in 40 (12.9%), while it was absent in 269 (87.1%) of our study cases.Conclusion: Higher frequencies of Undiagnosed Hypoxia have been observed in patients admitted in chest medicine wards of Nishtar Hospital Multan using pulse oximeter. Hypoxia was significantly more prevalent in male gender and with increasing age. Hypoxia was significantly more common in patients with COPD.Keywords: Undiagnosed Hypoxia, Oxygen saturation, Pulse oximeter.