Objective

To evaluate and compare the respiratory rate and oxygen saturation of patients in the immediate postoperative period of exploratory laparotomy and cholecystectomy.

Material and Method

This is a cross-sectional and quantitative study with 63 patients seen between November 2014 and April 2015. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire applied to patients admitted to the Surgical Clinic of the Municipal Hospital of Imperatriz City. Patients of both sexes, aged from 18 to 59 years, in the immediate postoperative period of exploratory laparotomy (Group I) and cholecystectomy (Group II) participated in the study. Data related to respiratory rate (RR) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) were extracted from the questionnaire. Data were analyzed statistically using the BioEstat 5.0 program, as well as Shapiro Wilk test for normality between variables, Mann-Whitney inferential analytical test, and Spearman test for correlation between variables.

Results

There was no statistical significance regarding the clinical changes of RR (p = 0.4) and clinical changes of SpO2 (p = 0.8) when comparing the samples from both groups and the surgical procedures performed. The cases in which the values of both analyzed variables were altered, evidencing conditions of tachypnoea or bradypnea and hypoxemia, were isolated cases, not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Regardless of the surgical procedures performed, the respiratory pattern remained normal to minimally altered and, in these individuals, there was no direct interference of these surgeries on the respiratory function that caused a significant clinical alteration of respiration.

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