Prospective randomized trial comparing oxygen administration during nasal flexible bronchoscopy - Oral vs nasal delivery

Study objectives: To determine the optimal method of delivering supplementa l oxygen during flexible bronchoscopy (FB). Design: Prospective study. Setting: University medical center. Patients: Ninety-seven consecutive patients undergoing outpatient nasal FB during a 7-month period. Intervention: During FB, delivery of oxygen was alternated weekly and admin istered by nasal cannula either nasally (52 patients) or orally (45 patient s). Prior to the procedure, patients completed a questionnaire regarding or al or nasal breathing preferences, history of sinus disease, allergy histor y, and perceived degree of nasal congestion. Results: Comparison of oxygen delivery groups demonstrated no significant d ifference in oxygen requirements (4.1 L/min nasal vs 3.8 L/min oral, p = 0. 63), overall saturation nadir (90.9% nasal vs 91.4% oral, p = 0.85), or ave rage saturation (95.8% nasal vs 95.7% oral, p = 0.57). No correlation betwe en subjective symptoms or sinus or allergy history was found for oxygen req uirements, average saturation, or saturation nadir. Conclusions: These data suggest that during nasal FB, no discernible differ ence exists between administration of oxygen using cannulas placed either n asally or orally.