SEDATION AND PAIN MANAGEMENT/ORIGINAL RESEARCH The Utility of Supplemental Oxygen During Emergency Department Procedural Sedation and Analgesia With Midazolam and Fentanyl: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Methods: Patients were randomized to receive either supplemental oxygen or compressed air by nasal cannula at 2 L per minute. Physicians were blinded to the gas used and end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) data. Respiratory depression was defined a priori as oxygen saturation less than 90%, ETCO2 level greater than 50 mm Hg, an absolute change from baseline of 10 mm Hg, or loss of the ETCO2 waveform.