Abstract

Hypoxemia is quite common during flexible bronchoscopy (FOB), and the goal should be to maintain the arter - ial oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) above 90% throughout the procedure. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the value of pulmonary function tests (PFT) for the prediction of hypoxemia during FOB. Thirty-four patients (mean age 59.20±12.58 years) undergoing FOB for different reasons were included. FVC, FEV 1 and FEV 1 /VC were found to be as 77.36 ± 17.20%, 67.02 ± 17.32%, 85.22 ± 13.85% respectively. We documented a statistically signif - icant decrease in SpO 2 level from the baseline level of 96.38±1.54% to 89.09±3.78% (p<0.001). Besides, heart rate changed from a stable baseline level of 85.59±13.02 to a level of 111.68±15.09 per minute (p<0.001) dur - ing bronchoscopy. However, there was no correlation between prebronchoscopic spirometric parameters and SpO2 , or heart rate (p>0.05). Based on the results of the present study, oxygen desaturation and heart rate do not correlate with PFT. Thus, even if the PFTs of the patients are normal, arterial oxygen saturation and heart rate and rhythm must be monitored during bronchoscopy to prevent potential hypoxemic complications.