OxyMask, a novel product, has recently been used to administer oxygen postoperatively to patients who have undergone general anesthesia. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of hypoxia in patients under general anesthesia upon arrival to the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) using arterial blood gas analysis, and to compare the effectiveness of OxyMask with a non-rebreathing oxygen mask for oxygen administration.

We retrospectively investigated anesthesia-related data from the electronic medical records of 460 patients treated from April to November 2021. We analyzed patients aged 20 years or older who had undergone general anesthesia and whose perioperative arterial blood gas analysis results were available upon arrival to the PACU. These patients were grouped into the non-rebreathing oxygen mask (n=223) and OxyMask (n=237) groups, and statistical analysis was performed utilizing their anesthesia records.

No patients exhibited hypoxia upon arrival to the recovery room. The oxygen concentration increased after oxygen administration; its concentration during the recovery room period (Δ2 PaO₂) was 10.7±42.3 and 13.9±38.5 mmHg in the non-rebreathing oxygen mask and OxyMask groups, respectively. This difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, the arterial oxygen saturation between the end of surgery and upon arrival to the PACU (Δ1 SaO₂) and the arterial oxygen saturation 20 minutes after oxygen administration at the PACU (Δ2 SaO₂) did not significantly differ between the groups.

OxyMask was not superior to a non-rebreathing oxygen mask in terms of the effectiveness of oxygen supply.