Children in intensive care have better outcomes with lower oxygen targets (21 March 2025)

Summary

In the UK, around 20,000 children are admitted to intensive care each year. Most will receive oxygen through a ventilator. Many hospitals aim to give almost as much oxygen as people’s blood can carry (more than 94% saturation). However, some studies suggest that this could be harmful for some children. Providing less oxygen (88 to 92% of the blood’s capacity) may be better.

Content

A groundbreaking nurse-led NIHR trial explored the oxygen levels of critically ill children in intensive care. The study found that with reduced oxygen targets children spent less time on life-saving machines and required fewer drugs.

The researchers say that with reduced oxygen targets:

• 50 more children would survive in the UK each year
• the NHS could save £20 million per year.

The findings suggest that, if oxygen targets for children in intensive care were reduced across the NHS, 50 more children would survive every year. In total, children would spend 6,000 fewer days in intensive care.

Lower oxygen targets could be particularly beneficial in countries where resources are scarce, the researchers say, or at times of crisis (such as during a pandemic).