Effects of Intravenous Agent Used on Oxygen Desaturation during Suxamethonium Apnoea

Anesthesia induction consists of pre-oxygenation, intravenous agent, muscle relaxant which causes apnea for laryngoscopy and intubation. The three commonly used intravenous agents are Ketamine, Propofol and Thiopentone. However, various views have been expressed in relation to oxygen saturation during anesthesia. The study sought to affirm the rate of oxygen desaturation during suxamethonium apnea in relation to the intravenous induction agent used. An observational research design was adopted for the study. A total of 94 patients were engaged in the study. Descriptive statistics, correlation and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. The study found that patients administered with Ketamine as an induction agent recorded the least average time for oxygen desaturation, whereas those given thiopentone recorded the highest time of oxygen desaturation. Patients who received thiopentone as an induction agent had the least induction duration, whereas those administered with Propofol recorded the longest induction duration. The study concludes that there is no significant difference in the rate of oxygen desaturation among the three intravenous agents.