Arterial oxygenation during one lung ventilation in obese patients

To test the hypothesis that arterial oxygenation during one lung ventilation (OLV) is impaired more in obese patients than in non-obese control patients, we performed consecutive measurements of arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) during OLV in 48 patients scheduled for pulmonary lobectomy. Minimum value of PaO2 during OLV was significantly less in 16 obese patients [body mass index (BMI) > 25] compared to 32 control patients (BMI < 25). Moreover, PaO2 value of left lung ventilation was significantly less than the value of right lung ventilation in obese patients while the difference was not statistically significant in the control group.