RET 2.0 DESCRIPTION/DEFINITION The decision to discontinue mechanical ventilation involves weighing the risks of prolonged mechanical ventilation against the possibility of extubation failure.1,2 This guideline will focus on the predictors that aid the decision to extubate, the procedure referred to as extubation, and the immediate postextubation interventions that may avoid potential reintubat...

Endotracheal intubation is frequently complicated by laryngeal edema, which may present as postextubation stridor or respiratory difficulty or both. Ultimately, postextubation laryngeal edema may result in respiratory failure with subsequent reintubation. Risk factors for postextubation laryngeal edema include female gender, large tube size, and prolonged intubation. Although patients at low ri...

Obesity is a worldwide health problem affecting 34% of the American population. As a result, more patients requiring anesthesia for thoracic surgery will be overweight or obese. Changes in static and dynamic respiratory mechanics, upper airway anatomy, as well as multiple preoperative comorbidities and altered drug metabolism, characterize obese patients and affect the anesthetic plan at multip...

M e t h o d s Design: Randomized placebo-controlled trial. Allocation: Concealed.* Blinding: Blinded (clinicians and patients).* Follow-up period: Up to 24 hours after extubation. Setting: 7 intensive care units in France. Patients: 761 patients 47 to 74 years of age (mean age 66 y, 64% men) who were mechanically ventilated for > 36 hours (median duration 6 d) and were to be extubated in the in...

OBJECTIVE The intensive care unit is synonymous of high severity, and its mortality rates are between 5.4 and 33%. With the development of new technologies, a patient can be maintained for long time in the unit, causing high costs, psychological and moral for all involved. This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors for mortality and prolonged length of stay in an adult intensive care unit. ...

BACKGROUND Elderly and frail patients undergo open emergency colectomies and are at greater risk for complications. The relationship between frailty and open emergent colectomies is yet unexplored. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between frailty and outcomes after open emergent colorectal surgery. DESIGN Using the American College of Surgeons National Qu...

OBJECTIVES To determine the incidence of extubation failure in preterm newborns with birth weight < 1,250 g extubated to nasal continuous positive airway pressure and to identify the main risk factors associated with the need for reintubation in this population. METHODS A retrospective review of eligible infants admitted and mechanically ventilated between July 2002 and June 2004 was performe...