Increasing BMI Adds to Risk for Hypoxemia in Monitored Anesthesia Care

Boston—Although the risk factors for hypoxemia in obese patients undergoing general anesthesia are well known, the risk is less clear when it comes to monitored anesthesia care (MAC). Yet, as a study by a team of NYU Langone Medical Center researchers has shown, the relationship is the same under MAC anesthesia, with the incidence of hypoxemia rising sharply in patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m². Their study also found that increased age and the addition of any