M.Cur. / In the cardiothoracic critical care unit, the respiratory management, post-extubation forms an important component of the total nursing care of the patient. To ensure optimal respiratory management the critical care nurse needs guidelines through which quality and continuity of nursing care can be ensured. Through the effective management of the respiratory system of the patient the critical care nurse contributes to maintaining, promoting and restoring health. In this way the critical care nurse facilitates the patient's strive towards reaching his/her objective of obtaining wholeness and he/she obtains his/her objective of quality nursing. The aim of this study is to formulate guidelines for the respiratory mangement of the cardiothoracic patient, post-extubation. A qualitative-descriptive contextual spesific reseach was followed in which a focus group interview, the opinions of field specialists and the deductive analysis of a literture study were used to formulate guidelines for the respiratory management of the cardiothoracic patient, post-extubation. An analysis was done through which the focus group interview was coded and categories were formulated. These main categories and subcategories were then further explored and described by the literature and by die opinions of the field specialists. The guidelines which were formulated must relieve the uncertainty that exists among different critical care nurses and it must ensure continuity of nursing care. After the guideliness have been established to promote the nursing practice recommendations were made for nursing practice, nursing education and for further research.