Wearable Tech Cuts Post-Surgery Low Oxygen Time

Patients continuously monitored after surgery experienced significantly less time with dangerously low oxygen levels compared to those monitored using routine spot checks.

Mar. 25, 2026 at 2:04am

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A new study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine found that patients continuously monitored after surgery experienced significantly less time with dangerously low oxygen levels compared to those monitored using routine spot checks. The research represents the first large, randomized crossover trial and largest dataset to date evaluating continuous wearable monitoring technologies on hospital surgical floors.

Why it matters

Even modest amounts of low oxygen levels after surgery can delay recovery and increase the patient's risk of complications. This study shows that continuous wearable monitoring can provide clinicians with real-time alerts, enabling earlier interventions and improving patient outcomes.

The details

Researchers compared standard intermittent vital sign checks, typically every four hours, with a novel continuous wearable monitoring system that recorded oxygen saturation, heart rate and blood pressure every 15 seconds. The trial was conducted across two postoperative surgical units, which alternated monitoring methods every four weeks over a full year. Nearly 3,700 patients, including 800 high-risk patients, were included in the primary analysis. Continuously monitored patients spent approximately 30 fewer minutes with oxygen saturation below 90%, a statistically significant 14% risk reduction for dangerous desaturation events.

  • The study was published on March 25, 2026.
  • The trial was conducted over a full year.

The players

Ashish K. Khanna, M.D.

Professor of anesthesiology and vice chair of research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and lead author of the study.

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

The hospital where the study took place and the only large U.S. hospital to have successfully deployed this continuous monitoring technology and to have done this type of trial at scale.

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What they’re saying

“Even modest amounts of hypoxemia may meaningfully affect recovery and could possibly be an early indicator of a downstream clinical event. This trial shows that real-time visibility into patient physiology helps teams respond sooner and more effectively.”

— Ashish K. Khanna, M.D., Professor of anesthesiology and vice chair of research

What’s next

Researchers noted that while the study was not powered for patient-centric outcomes, the positive point estimates should motivate the scientific community to conceive larger pragmatic trials with hard outcomes.

The takeaway

This study provides an important push for the worldwide surgical and perioperative community, as continuous wearable monitoring is no longer experimental but achievable, impactful, and ready for broader adoption to improve patient outcomes and reduce preventable complications.