Table 1_Perioperative challenges: does smoking compromise high-flow nasal oxygen efficacy in obese Men? A randomised controlled trial.xlsx

Perioperative pre-oxygenation in obese patients often involves high-flow nasal oxygen to reduce the risk of airway complications. Nevertheless, few studies have investigated the effect of smoking habits on apnoeic oxygenation with high-flow nasal cannula in obese men.</p>Objective<p>This study aimed to explore the effects of smoking on the safe apnoea duration in obese males.</p>Design<p>Prospective, randomised, controlled study.</p>Setting<p>University-affiliated hospital from September 2024 to May 2025.</p>Patients<p>Sixty obese males who underwent abdominal (non-thoracic) surgery, aged between 18 and 65 years.</p>Interventions<p>Patients were categorised into two groups according to their smoking habits: smokers (Group S) and never smokers (Group NS).

Smokers were defined as current smokers consuming at least 10 cigarettes daily for over 2 years, and had continued smoking up to at least 14 days prior to surgery, while non-smokers had no history of smoking. All patients underwent intravenous anaesthesia induction and received 5 min of high-flow nasal oxygen (60 L/min) before induction. Following anaesthesia induction, patients remained apnoeic until their peripheral oxygen saturation dropped to 92%.</p>Main outcome measures<p>The primary outcome was the comparison of safe apnoea duration between the two groups after receiving 5-minute pre-oxygenation with high-flow nasal oxygen.</p>Results<p>Sixty patients were enrolled (30 smokers and 30 non-smokers).