Severe Hyperoxia in Cardiac Arrest Survivors Is Associated with Worse Outcomes

Hyperoxia may result in increased oxidative stress and ischemia-reperfusion injury in patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest. To assess the effect of hyperoxia on outcomes, investigators retrospectively analyzed data for 184 ventilated post--cardiac arrest patients (mean age, 60 years; 54% men) who survived at least 24 hours after resuscitation.

Severe hyperoxia was defined as PaO₂ ≥300 mm Hg; moderate or probable hyperoxia, PaO₂ 101–299 mm Hg; normoxia, PaO₂ 60–100 mm Hg; and hypoxia, PaO₂ <60 mm Hg.

Overall, 46% of patients survived to hospital discharge. Of all patients, 36% had severe hyperoxia within the first 24 hours after arrest (mean duration, 1.4 hours). Severe hypoxia was associated with decreased survival to hospital discharge …