Oxygen saturation during general anaesthesia and recovery for outpatient oral surgical procedures.

Various factors have resulted in an increased demand for relatively minor surgical treatment requiring general anaesthesia to be carried out in the surgery on an outpatient basis. Previous studies have reported significant decreases in oxygen saturation in patients under intravenous sedation and in patients under general anaesthesia. This study examined the levels of oxygen saturations in outpatients undergoing oral surgical procedures under general anaesthesia. The results confirm the value of pulse oximetry and suggest that this mode of monitoring and the administration of supplemental oxygen be routinely utilised during the recovery period.