BACKGROUND Mortality increases when extubations fail. Although predictors of extubation failure have been evaluated, physicians' reasoning to extubate a patient has received minimal attention. We hypothesized that the accuracy and reliability of physicians' extubation decisions are low. METHODS We sent surveys to 55 physicians in the divisions of pulmonary and critical care medicine of 3 teac...

OBJECTIVE In clinical intensive care practice, weaning from mechanical ventilation is accompanied by concurrent early patient mobilization. The aim of this study was to compare the success of extubation performed with patients seated in an armchair compared to extubation with patients in a supine position. METHODS A retrospective study, observational and non-randomized was conducted in a mixe...

AIM To determine whether extubation to nasal continuous airway pressure (NCPAP) results in a greater proportion of infants remaining free of additional ventilatory support for one week after extubation compared with those extubated directly to headbox oxygen. METHODS A randomised, controlled, clinical trial was conducted at the neonatal intensive care unit of the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbo...

OBJECTIVES Nasal continuous positive airway pressure is used as a standard of care after extubation in very-low-birth-weight infants. A pressure of 5 cmH2O is usually applied regardless of individual differences in lung compliance. Current methods for evaluation of lung compliance and air distribution in the lungs are thus imprecise for preterm infants. This study used electrical impedance tomo...

INTRODUCTION The extubation period is one of the most challenging aspects for intensive care teams. Timely recognition of the return to spontaneous ventilation is essential for reducing costs, morbidity, and mortality. Several weaning predictors were studied in an attempt to evaluate the outcome of removing ventilatory support. The purpose of this study was to analyze the predictive performance...

A report of early extubation after Fontan operation in nine patients is presented. All patients had a satisfactory course after operation with adequate PaO2 values. The possible benefits of early extubation are discussed.