Acta anaesthesiologica Scandinavica
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Acta Anaesthesiol Scand · Feb 2019
Review Meta AnalysisThe effects of general anaesthesia on oxygen consumption: A meta-analysis guiding future studies on perioperative oxygen transport.
Increased oxygen extraction, the ratio of consumption to delivery, has been associated with poor outcome after surgery. Oxygen consumption (VO2) can change in several ways in the perioperative period, but is seldom monitored directly in routine care. This study investigates the effects of general anaesthesia on VO2. ⋯ General anaesthesia probably reduces oxygen consumption but the effect estimate is uncertain. Given the limited generalizability and low quality of the available evidence, new studies in modern perioperative settings and in today's older high-risk surgical patient populations are needed.