Is the Incidence of Hypoxemia Greater in Patients Who Vape?

Background: Vaping and electronic cigarettes were developed to be a safer alternative to cigarette smoking. However, their use is not benign and they have been associated with pulmonary complications. Objective: To compare the incidence of hypoxemia during the first hour in postoperative patients with and without a history of vaping and e-cigarette use (VECU) within 1 year of surgery. Design: Retrospective study from the Cleveland Clinic main campus. Methods: Data were collected from January 2015 to April 2021 of all non-cardiothoracic surgical patients who had an intubated general anesthetic of >1 hour in which the patient was mechanically ventilated and had SpO 2 and F IO 2 data for the first hour in postanesthesia care unit (PACU). SpO 2 or F IO 2 was a surrogate for PaO 2 or F IO 2 . Overall, 85%, 14%, and 1% of PACU patients received oxygen via nasal cannula, simple facemask, and other, respectively. Records were reviewed to identify those patients with and without a history more...