METHODS: RESULTS: Among the 313 patients included in the original trial, 91 (29%) had
obesity with a mean body mass index of 35 ± 5 kg·m-2. Patients with
obesity were more likely to experience an episode of severe
hypoxemia during intubation procedure than patients without
obesity: 34% (31/91) vs. 22% (49/222); difference, 12%; 95% CI 1 to 23%; P = 0.03. Among patients with
obesity, 40 received preoxygenation with
noninvasive ventilation and 51 with high-flow nasal
oxygen. Severe
hypoxemia occurred in 15 patients (37%) with
noninvasive ventilation and 16 patients (31%) with high-flow nasal
oxygen (difference, 6%; 95% CI - 13 to 25%; P = 0.54). The lowest pulse oximetry values during intubation procedure were 87% [interquartile range, 77-93] with
noninvasive ventilation and 86% [78-92] with high-flow nasal
oxygen (P = 0.98). After multivariable analysis, factors independently associated with severe
hypoxemia in patients with
obesity were intubation difficulty scale > 5 points and respiratory primary failure as reason for admission.
CONCLUSIONS: