Early extubation in pediatric heart surgery across a spectrum of case complexity: Impact on hospital length of stay and chest tube days

Early extubation is increasingly common in congenital heart surgery, but there are limited outcomes data across the spectrum of case complexity. We performed a retrospective review of 201 pediatric operations using cardiopulmonary bypass between 2012 and 2014. Patients extubated in the operating room or immediately on arrival to the ICU were compared to those extubated by traditional protocols. In-hospital mortality, major complications, need for re-intubation, hospital length of stay, and chest-tube days were compared between groups and by Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery Congenital Heart Surgery (STAT) mortality category.
Source: Progress in Pediatric Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research