Apnoeic Oxygenation During Pediatric Tracheal Intubation

One approach to preventing adverse respiratory events due to hypoxaemia during paediatric anaesthesia is the use of apnoeic oxygenation. The principle is to deliver oxygen to the airways of anaesthetised patients via a conventional nasal cannula. As less carbon dioxide is produced than oxygen is consumed during apnoea, the supply of oxygen to the upper airways leads to an 'inward diffusion' of oxygen, which may prolongs the time until desaturation and hypoxaemia occur.