Effect of Conservative vs Conventional Oxygen Therapy on Mortality Among Patients in an Intensive Care Unit: The Oxygen-ICU Randomized Clinical Trial -

Effect of Conservative vs Conventional Oxygen Therapy on Mortality Among Patients in an Intensive Care Unit: The Oxygen-ICU Randomized Clinical Trial
Information type: Randomised controlled trials
Source: Journal of the American Medical Association
Specialities: Critical care | Respiratory disorders
Summary
RCT (n=434) found for patients staying in ICU≥72 hours, a conservative oxygen protocol resulted in lower ICU mortality v. conventional therapy (25 (11.6%) vs. 44 (20.2%) ICU deaths, respectively; absolute risk reduction 8.6% [95% CI,1.7-15]; RR 0.57 [0.37-0.90]; p = 0.01)
UKMi comment
The conservative protocol was defined as PaO2 between 70 and 100 mm Hg or arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2) between 94% and 98%, whilst the conventional control group was according to standard ICU practice, to allow PaO2 values up to 150 mm Hg or SpO2 values between 97% and 100%.

The study was stopped early after 480 of a planned 660 patients had been enrolled, partially related to slow recruitment following ICU bed reductions after an earthquake had damaged the hospital, but also following positive results from an unplanned interim analysis.

An editorial discusses the impact of this study on future protocols, and also highlights the possible concerns with the validity of this study.
Related links: Editorial