Intravenous line placement and standard monitoring. Preoxygenated through a face mask firmly applied and connected to the anaesthesia machine delivering a fresh gas flow of 12 l min-1. The circle breathing system was previously flushed with the O2 bypass during 30 s before mask placement. The inspired O2 concentration was set at 100%, the inspiratory trigger sensitivity was set at -2 l min-1, the adjustable pressure limiting valve was opened, and maximal airway pressure was limited at 18 cmH2O. Inspired and expired fraction of O2 and carbon dioxide (CO2) were continuously measured. End of the preoxygenation defined by FEO2=90%, intravenous anaesthesia was performed with propofol (2.5 mg kg-1 followed by a continuous administration at 8 mg kg-1 h-1 continuous infusion of propofol to target a bispectral index between 40 and 50), alfentanil 40 microg kg-1, and succinylcholine 1 mg kg-1. No face mask ventilation was provided before orotracheal intubation which was performed at the end of muscles fasciculation. The correct position of the tube (tracheal position above carina) was immediately checked using fiberoptic visualisation and was mandatory before atracurium 0.5 mg kg-1 administration. If tube misplacement occurred, the patient was excluded from the study in order to perform standard care. The time until SpO2 reached 93% was measured. The SpO2 and FEO2 were recorded every 10 s during the preoxygenation phase. The SpO2 was recorded every 10 s during the apnea phase.