Providing effective supplemental oxygen during procedural sedation is crucial to prevent hypoxia and its potentially serious consequences.

Unfortunately, hypoxia during procedural sedation is a common occurrence. A retrospective cohort study involving 5,993 adult patients revealed that 29% developed hypoxemia during moderate to deep sedation. The risk was significantly higher during longer procedures. [1]

To help detect such respiratory complications, the American Society of Anesthesiologists 2025 guidelines recommend continuous end-tidal CO₂ monitoring during moderate to deep sedation.

Currently, during I.V. sedation, anesthesia providers typically use oxygen masks or nasal cannulas to deliver oxygen and monitor CO₂. However, both devices result in inferior oxygen delivery and provide unreliable end-tidal CO₂ (ETCO₂) readings due to gas mixture and dilution.

AERIS TRANSFORMS STANDARD SEDATION AIRWAYS INTO HIGHLY EFFICIENT O₂ DELIVERY AND ETCO₂ MONITORING SYSTEMS

The AERIS Airway™ from Airway Innovations™ modernizes the practice of deep sedation and limits the risk of hypoxia in patients. The AERIS Airway transforms any standard Guedel-type oropharyngeal (OPA) or nasopharyngeal (NPA) into a highly efficient oxygen delivery and ETCO₂ monitoring system in seconds.

By offsetting the oxygen delivery port from the CO₂ detection port, end-tidal CO₂ is captured at the supraglottis with minimal oxygen dilution, generating a real-time, reliable CO₂ waveform on all clinical capnography monitors.

AERIS OUTPERFORMS DIVIDED NASAL CANNULAS AND OXYGEN FACE MASKS

A recent White Paper compared supraglottic FiO₂ provided by oxygen masks, nasal cannulas and the AERIS Airway. The crossover study found that the AERIS delivered two to three times higher FiO₂ to the supraglottic space than the divided nasal cannula or oxygen face mask.[2]

The study concluded that the “AERIS device represents an effective, efficient oxygen delivery system, providing high supraglottic FiO₂ even at relatively low fresh oxygen flow rates for patients undergoing deep or even moderate-to-deep procedural sedation when a nasopharyngeal or Guedel oropharyngeal airway is being used.”

Review the entire White Paper here.

AERIS: BETTER OXYGENATION, MORE RELIABLE CO₂ MONITORING, SAFER SEDATION

Unlike nasal cannulas and face masks that plateau at 21-45% FIO₂, the AERIS Airway™ achieves 80-90% FIO₂ at lower oxygen flow rates of 2-4 L/min.

This superior oxygenation increases patient safety by pre-emptively detecting respiratory compromise and reducing the risk of hypoxemia.

For more information or a demonstration of the AERIS Airway, contact your local MED Alliance Group sales representative, call 888-891-1200 or email us.

MED Alliance Group is a medical device distributor dedicated to meeting the needs of our clinical customers and manufacturing partners since 1998. We specialize in the sales, marketing, importation, logistics and distribution of innovative, high-quality and cost-effective products found in anesthesia and respiratory, blood and transfusion therapy, EMS and emergency room, interventional radiology and cath lab, iv and vascular, as well as NICU and PICU.

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References:

[1] Van Schaik, E. P. C., Blankman, P., Van Klei, W. A., Knape, H. J. T. A., Vaessen, P. H. H. B., Braithwaite, S. A., van Wolfswinkel, L., & Schellekens, W.-J. M. (2021). Hypoxemia during procedural sedation in adult patients: A retrospective observational study. Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12630-021-01992-6. Click here to view.

[2] Gonzalez, R. M. (2025). A comparison of supraglottic FiO₂provided by three oxygen delivery systems: Divided nasal cannula vs. simple oxygen face mask vs. the new AERIS Airway™ device for sedation. Renaissance Medical Consulting. Click here to view.