Respiratory failure & ventilation
Conservative Oxygen Targets in Mechanically Ventilated Patients (OXY-BREATHES): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors' conclusion
Conservative oxygenation is comparable to liberal oxygen targets in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients, with possible advantages in sepsis and post-cardiac arrest.
Study context
- Population
- Mechanically ventilated critically ill adults (ICU)
- Participants
- 20,447 participants · 9 randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
- Comparison
- Conservative vs liberal oxygen targets
- Outcome
- 90-day mortality and ICU LOS
Methodological detailsrandom-effects model, GRADE certainty appraisal
- Random-effects model
- GRADE certainty appraisal
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Conservative vs LiberalRelative risk (95% CI)
90-day mortality; moderate certainty
1.01(0.94–1.09)
Conservative vs LiberalMD (95% CI)
ICU LOS; moderate certainty
−0.17(−0.41 to 0.06)
Further pooled results
| Outcome | Estimate | P value |
|---|---|---|
| Vasopressor-free days, sepsis/septic shock (subgroup) | MD 2.0 | P = 0.008 |
| Survival, post-cardiac arrest (subgroup)Potential survival benefit | RR 0.89 | P = 0.05 |
Organ support-free days and other secondary outcomes
- Comparable between groups
Safety
Adverse events (RRT, nosocomial pneumonia, cardiac or cerebral ischaemic events)
- Incidence of adverse events comparable between groups
- Certainty low for RRT and nosocomial pneumonia; very low for cerebral and cardiac ischaemia
Original publication
Conservative Oxygen Targets in Mechanically Ventilated Patients (OXY-BREATHES): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Crit Care Med. Published 9 February 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →