It is a common practice for physiotherapists working in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to treat patients who are intubated and mechanically ventilated and assist with extubation. The role of chest physiotherapy treatment (CPT) with extubation hasn’t been scientifically proven to be effective. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether the omission of one CPT prior to extubation influences the outcome of patients four-hours after extubation. Methods A randomized-controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in an academic hospital with 20- cardiothoracic and general ICU beds. Patients consented to participate in the study after ethical clearance was obtained from University of Witwatersrand Committee for Research on Human Subjects. Twenty-two patients were randomly assigned to a control group to receive CPT and suctioning prior to extubation (n=12) or to an experimental group to receive suctioning only prior to extubation (n=10). All patients were then re-assessed four-hours after extubation to assess the difference in outcome measures in arterial blood gases (ABG), breathing pattern, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), respiratory rate (RR), cough effectiveness and re-intubation rate. Groups were compared with respect to the categorical parameters using the Fischer’s exact test. A two-sample t-test with unequal variances and a non-parametric Mann-Whitney test were used to compare the ABG and RR results between the groups. Results and Discussion The ABG, breathing pattern, RR, and cough effectiveness were not statistically significant between the groups. PEFR could not be measured due to the inability to follow instruction by the majority of patients. None of the patients required re-intubation within 24-hours. Eight patients in each group received CPT after four-hours due to clinical findings of an ineffective cough, added sounds and abnormal breathing patterns. Conclusion: Patients in the control group had a significant shorter period of mechanical ventilation (MV) than those allocated in the experimental group. However eight patients in both groups required CPT treatment when assessed four hours after extubation.

Bakgrund: Intensivvård innebär diagnostisering, övervakning, behandling och omvårdnad av patienter med akut livshotande tillstånd/sjukdomar. Thoraxintensivvård definieras som vård omedelbart efter: hjärtoperationer med ECC (hjärt- lungmaskin), koronaroperationer off-pump, öppen kirurgi på torakalaorta och perkutana aortaklaffar. Varje intensivvårdssjuksköterska ska behandla patienten med respekt för dennes autonomi och integritet samt ge omvårdad utifrån dennes individuella behov. Sjuksköterskan/intensivvårdssjuksköterskan skall också om patienten vill, föra dennes talan i vården. Det finns situationer som gör att patienterna inte känner sig delaktiga i sin vård. Exempel på sådana situationer kan vara när patienten får reda på provresultat och undersöknings resultat men inte får någon förklaring till vad de betyder, när patienten inte vet vad som ska hända härnäst, när patienten blir betraktad som ett objekt eller-, när patienten inte blir lyssnad på och patientens åsikt inte tas i beaktande. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att studera patientperspektivet vid väckning och extubation efter thoraxkirurgi, som sker i ett tidigt postoperativt förlopp. Metod: Studien är en kvalitativ och deskriptiv semistrukurerad observationsstudie med fältanteckningar. Resultat: Resultatet visar att kommunikation, lugnande omvårdnad, information och delaktighet var fyra stycken huvudområden. Slutsats: Vid tidig extubering av patient som genomgått thoraxkirurgi krävs att patienten görs delaktig i sin vård genom att information kommuniceras tidigt och tydligt. Det var av stor vikt för patienten att vårdpersonalen guidade denne genom extubationen, för att minska obehaget som denna upplevelse kan orsaka. / Background: Intensive care involves diagnosing, monitoring, treatment and care of patients with acute life-threatening conditions / diseases. Thoracic intensive care is defined as immediate care after: cardiac surgery with ECC, coronary surgery off pump, open surgery on the aorta and percutaneous aortic valves. Each intensive care nurse must treat the patient with respect for their autonomy and integrity and provide care based on the patients individual needs. ICU nurses has to, if required by the patient, represent the patient in the daily care. There are situations when the patients may feel that they are not able to participate care. Examples of such events can be when the patient gets out test scores and survey results, but does not get any explanation of what they mean, when the patient does not know what will happen next, when the patient is viewed as an object, when the patient does not get listened to or when the patient's opinion is not taken into account. Objective: The aim of this study was to study the patient's perspective of wake-up and extubation after thoracic surgery, which takes place in the early postoperative course. Method: The study is a qualitative and descriptive semi-structured observational study with field notes. Results: The results show that communication, soothing care, information and participation were four main areas. Conclusion: Early extubation of patients undergoing thoracic surgery requires that patients are involved in their care through information communicated early and clearly. It was very important for the patient's that the medical staff guided them through the extubation, to reduce the discomfort that this experience can cause.

MSc(Med), Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / Introduction Many patients that have suffered traumatic injuries require admission to Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Mechanical ventilation (MV) is deemed to be the defining event marking many ICU admissions. As many as 30% of admissions, and 90% of all critically ill patients will require at least a short period of MV. There are many risks and complications associated with prolonged MV, such as rate of pneumonia, morbidity and mortality, increased cost, hospital LOS, emotional distress and decreased bed availability. To minimize these risks and complications it is important that patients be weaned and extubated from MV at the earliest possible time. However, just as delayed weaning and extubation carries the risk of complications, premature extubation and subsequent re-intubation should be avoided where possible, as extubation failure leads to an eight-fold higher risk of infection and a twelve-fold increase in mortality. Weaning is the transition from ventilatory support to spontaneous breathing and can often be achieved easily, but may be difficult in up to 25% of patients. Numerous studies have shown the benefit of allied health care worker (nurses and physiotherapists) driven weaning protocols in decreasing MV days and costs. Purpose To determine if the use of a nurse and therapist-driven weaning protocol to wean and extubate long-term patients with trauma from MV in an open ICU results in decreased total MV days and ICU length of stay (LOS), and to determine time to spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) failure. Methods A weaning protocol was developed by the researcher using clinical guidelines compiled for the American Association for Respiratory Care, American College of Chest Physicians and American College of Critical Care Medicine. A total of 56 mechanically ventilated trauma patients were enrolled in two phases of the study. A prospective cohort of 28 patients (Phase I), weaned according to the protocol, was matched retrospectively with a historical cohort of 28 patients (Phase II), weaned according to physician preference. Pairs in the two groups were matched to be similar for gender, age, type and severity of injury. Data analyzed for both groups were number of MV days, number of ICU days, self-extubation and need for re-intubation. For Phase I patients, time to SBT failure and reason for failure was recorded. v Results and Discussion With respect to the mean MV days it was found that the two protocol groups did not differ significantly (p = 0.3 ; Phase I = 14.4 days vs Phase II = 16.3 days), although the two day reduction in MV was considered clinically significant in view of the complications associated with additional MV days. The difference of 0.25 days for length of ICU stay between the groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.9; Phase I = 20.8 days vs Phase II = 21 days), and demonstrates that a reduction in MV days may not necessarily result in a reduction of ICU LOS. Rate of re-intubation was similar in the two groups (Phase I = 3/28 vs Phase II = 4/28). Eleven patients (39%) in Phase I failed at least one SBT and four of these patients (36%) failed two SBTs prior to successful extubation. Failure of the first SBT occurred an average of 18 hours after onset of SBT. Injury severity scores for these patients were higher than the average for Phase I (16.1 vs 14.5). Mean MV time in this group was 20.5 days as opposed to 14.4 days in the total Phase I group. This indicates that these patients were more critically ill and that they may require longer SBTs than advocated in many studies. All patients failed SBT due to increased RR. Conclusion In this study of longer-term ventilated patients who had traumatic injury as reason for admission to ICU and mechanical ventilation, the use of a standardized protocol to assist with weaning and extubation from MV demonstrated a clinically significant reduction in total MV time, even though this did not reach statistical significance. The reduction in MV time did not lead to a reduction in ICU LOS, however it reduces the risks of ventilator-associated complications such as VAP. The use of a weaning and extubation protocol did not lead to a higher rate of re-intubation, demonstrating its safety for use in this patient population. This protocol was driven by nurses and physiotherapists, and the role of physiotherapists and nursing staff in weaning and extubation of patients from MV could be greatly expanded in the majority of ICUs in South Africa.

: Bakgrund och problemformulering: Extubation är ett avgörande moment inom anestesi. När patienten har tillfredsställande andningsmönster så kan trakealtuben tas ut ur patientens luftväg. Inga hundraprocentiga kriterier finns för hur extubationens utfall blir, utan utförs ofta utefter situation. Det är en komplex process som kräver noga övervakning och anpassning till varje patients individuella behov. Att bedöma, etablera och kontrollera luftvägen kräver att anestesisjuksköterskan har kunskap och erfarenhet av multidisciplinärt samarbete och etisk medvetenhet. För att undvika patientlidande är personcentrerad vård nödvändigt och kräver ett förhållningsätt baserat på omtanke. Riskerna för komplikation har inte tydligt minskat under åren och det upplevs svårt att planera och utföra en extubation. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka anestesisjuksköterskan och anestesiologens erfarenheter av extubation. Metod: En systematisk litteraturöversikt med integrativ metod baserat på kvalitativa och kvantitativa artiklar. Artikelsökningen utfördes i databaser och webbsökning. Totalt inkluderades nio artiklar publicerade mellan år 2006–2022. Kvalitetsgranskning genomfördes utifrån CASP checklista av kvalitativa och randomiserad kontrollerad studie. Resultat: I resultatet framkommer det att erfarenhet är en betydande roll som ger bättre förutsättning för extubationen. Kommunikationsbrist, tidspress och bristande respekt påverkade anestesipersonal under utförandet. Planering och förberedelser är två viktiga faktorer för att underlätta handhavandet av extubation. Diskussion: Erfarenhet har en betydande roll för att skapa förutsättningar för trygghet, respekt och evidensbaserad vård. Anestesisjuksköterskor och anestesiologer har olika erfarenheter om extubation. Genom att öka kunskap gällande upplevelser av anestesipersonalens erfarenheter kan praktiska och teoretiska momentet kring extubering förbättras. / Background and Problem Statement: Extubation is a crucial step in anaesthesia. When the patient has a satisfactory breathing pattern, the tracheal tube can be removed from the patient's airway. There are no one-hundred- precent criteria for the outcome of extubation; it is often preformed based on the situation. It is a complex process that requires careful monitoring and adaptation to each patient’s individual needs. Assessing, establishing and controlling the airway require that the anaesthesia nurse possesses knowledge and experience with multidisciplinary collaboration and ethical awareness. To avoid patient suffering, person-centred care is necessary, which requires an approach based on compassion. The risk of complications has not clearly decreased over the years, and planning and preforming an extubation are often perceived as challenging. Aim: The aim was to examine the anesthesia nurse and the anesthesiologist's experiences with extubation. Method: A systematic literature review using an integrative method based on qualitative and quantitative articles. Articles searches were conducted in the databases Cinahl, PubMed and Scopus, as well through web searches. A total of nine articles published between 2006 and 2022 were included. Quality assessment was preformed using CASP checklist for qualitative and randomised controlled studies. Results: The results indicate that experience is a significant factor that provides better conditions for successful extubation. Communication problems, time pressure and lack of respect affected anaesthesia personnel during the procedure. Planning and preparing are two important factors that facilitate the management of extubation. Discussion: Experience plays a significant role in creating conditions for safety, respect and evidence-based care. Anaesthesia nurses and anaesthesiologist have mixed options about extubations. By increasing knowledge about the experiences of anaesthesia personnel, both the practical and theoretical aspects of extubation can be improved.

Bakgrund: Tidigare forskning som beskriver hur bedömningen av postoperativ trakeal extubation ska gå till och vad som måste vägas in i bedömningen är begränsad. Existerande forskning berör specifika kriterier för att bedöma extubationstillfället, men få studier sammanställer samtliga. De kriterier som framkommer är anestesidjup, spontanandning, vakenhet, neuromuskulär blockad och temperatur. Anestesiyrket och den tysta kunskapen karaktäriseras av att simultant balansera flöden av formell kunskap från litteratur och kunskap från tidigare erfarenhet. Som nyutbildad och oerfaren anestesisjuksköterska saknas referenser och tidigare upplevelser vilket kan försvåra bedömningen av extubationstillfället. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva hur anestesisjuksköterskan bedömer postoperativ trakeal extubation. Metod: En kvalitativ ansats med fokusgruppsintervju som metod användes. Två fokusgruppsintervjuer genomfördes med tre respektive fem anestesisjuksköterskor på två sjukhus i Stockholm. Materialet analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Analysen gav en vidareutveckling av befintliga kriterier utifrån anestesisjuksköterskornas tidigare erfarenheter och kunskaper. Extubation sågs som en process och inte som ett enskilt moment, där datainsamling utfördes kontinuerligt för att bedöma den. I resultatet identifierades åtta kategorier: Fri luftväg, anestesimetod, neuromuskulär blockad, temperatur, väckning, vakenhet, andning och tyst kunskap. Dessa skapade en tydligare bild av hur kriterierna stod i relation till varandra. Slutsats: Den tysta kunskapen hjälper anestesisjuksköterskan i processen att bedöma extubationen. Klinisk betydelse: Studien ökar förståelsen för komplexiteten av bedömningen som utförs av anestesisjuksköterskan inför extubation. / Background: Previous research assessing postoperative tracheal extubation is limited. Existing research refer to specific criteria to assess extubation, but few studies compile all criteria. These criteria were depth of anesthesia, breathing, alertness, neuromuscular blockade and temperature. The profession of anesthesiology and tacit knowledge is characterized by simultaneously balancing formal knowledge from literature and knowledge from previous experiences. A recently graduated and inexperienced nurse anesthetist lacks references and past experiences which can complicate the assessment of extubation. Aim: The aim of this study is to describe how the nurse anesthetist assesses postoperative tracheal extubation. Method: A qualitative approach with focus group interviews was used. Two focus group interviews were carried out with three and five nurse anesthetist in two hospitals in Stockholm. The material was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis resulted in a further development of criteria by nurse anesthetics previous experiences and knowledge. Extubation was referred to as a process rather than a specific procedure, where the collection of data was carried out continuously in order to assess it. Eight categories were identified: airway, anesthetic regimen, neuromuscular blockade, temperature, awakening, alertness, breathing and tacit knowledge. These created a clearer view of how the criteria were related to each other. Conclusion: Tacit knowledge helps the nurse anesthetist in the process to assess extubation. Clinical significance: The study increases the understanding of the complex assessment of extubation.

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Cartas al editor / Revisión por pares

Syfte: Studiens syfte var att jämföra en ny extubationsalgoritm med sedvanligtextubationsförfarande. Gruppen som studerades var patienter som genomgått en HIPEC-operationoch vårdats på Centrala intensivvårdsavdelningen. Metod: I En randomiserad kontrollerad klinisk pilotstudie randomiserades patienterna till en av tvågrupper. Därefter extuberades patienten enligt en studiealgoritm eller post-operativ standard. Resultat: Syresättningen var väsentligen oförändrad för studiegruppen (37,5 kPa till 36,6 kPa)medan den sjönk för kontrollgruppen (50,1 kPa till 40,6 kPa) vid jämförelse mellan 10 minuter efterankomst och 15 minuter efter extubation. Efter 13 till 18 timmars kontroll strax innan patienternalämnade intensivvårdsavdelningen var syresättningen på samma nivå som 15 minuter efterextubation för både studiegruppen och kontrollgrupp. Således kvarstod en försämrad syresättninghos kontrollgruppen vid utskrivning jämfört med 10 minuter efter ankomst. Slutsats: Studien visar att det skulle kunna vara fördelaktigt att extubera patienter enligt denstudiealgoritm som testats jämfört med dagens kliniska standard. Genom att fokusera på hur och ejnär extubationen ska ske är förhoppningen att denna studie kan bidra till att förbättra en procedursom i princip saknar konsensus. Mer forskning krävs för att kunna dra några generella slutsatser omresultatet. / Aim: To compare a new method of extubation with present standard procedure at the Central ICUafter HIPEC surgery. Method: In a randomized controlled study patients were randomized into two groups. Patients wereeither extubated according to a study algorithm based on best current knowledge, or according tostandard procedure. Results: The oxygenation remained on the same level in the study group (37,5 kPa to 36,6 kPa) butdecreased in the control group from 50,1 kPa to 40,6 kPa from 10 minutes after arrival to 15minutes after extubation. After 13 to 18 hours, just before the discharge from the ICU theoxygenation in both groups was at the same level as 15 minutes after extubation. Thus a decrease inoxygenation in the control group was found at discharge compared to 10 minutes after arrival in theICU. Conclusion: The result of the study showed that it may be benificial to extubate according to thestudy algorithm compared to present standard procedure. By directing focus from when to how theextubation is made, this study may contribute to the improvement of a clinical procedure that iscurrently lacking in scientific consencus. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Objective: To determine the risk factors for extubation failure in the intensive care unit. Methods: The present case-control study was conducted in an intensive care unit. Failed extubations were used as cases, while successful extubations were used as controls. Extubation failure was defined as reintubation being required within the first 48 hours of extubation. Results: Out of a total of 956 patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit, 826 were subjected to mechanical ventilation (86%). There were 30 failed extubations and 120 successful extubations. The proportion of failed extubations was 5.32%. The risk factors found for failed extubations were a prolonged length of mechanical ventilation of greater than 7 days (OR = 3.84, 95%CI = 1.01 - 14.56, p = 0.04), time in the intensive care unit (OR = 1.04, 95%CI = 1.00 - 1.09, p = 0.03) and the use of sedatives for longer than 5 days (OR = 4.81, 95%CI = 1.28 - 18.02; p = 0.02). Conclusion: Pediatric patients on mechanical ventilation were at greater risk of failed extubation if they spent more time in the intensive care unit and if they were subjected to prolonged mechanical ventilation (longer than 7 days) or greater amounts of sedative use. / Revisión por pares / Revisión por pares

Introdução: A sepse grave é responsável por 20% das admissões em Unidades de Terapia Intensiva (CTI) sendo a maior causa de morte não cardíaca nas CTIs. Pacientes sépticos frequentemente requerem ventilação mecânica e a falha de desmame está associada ao aumento da mortalidade. Entretanto, não estão bem estabelecidas as diferenças entre sepse e não sepse quanto à ventilação mecânica, nem tampouco quanto à falha de extubação. Objetivo: Comparar a incidência de falha de extubação entre indivíduos admitidos em unidades de terapia intensiva com ou sem o diagnóstico de sepse. Design: Estudo clínico prospectivo observacional. Pacientes: Pacientes de três CTIs de Porto Alegre, Brasil foram arrolados no período de janeiro de 2004 a dezembro de 2008. Os pacientes deveriam ter idade igual ou maior a 17 anos e terem permanecido em ventilação mecânica por tempo maior que 24hs. Gestantes, traqueostomizados e pacientes que falharam no teste de ventilação espontânea (SBT) ou que não fossem extubados após seis horas do SBT foram excluídos do estudo. Material e Métodos: Pacientes com sucesso no SBT foram extubados e acompanhados por 48hs. Os dados coletados incluem parâmetros ventilatórios, gasometria arterial, radiografia de tórax e índices preditivos de desmame (f/VT, MIP, MEP, PaO2/FiO2, f, e VT) durante a VM e no 1o e 30º minutos do SBT. Resultados: 474 pacientes foram arrolados ao total. A média de idade foi de 57.9 ± 19.1 e a maioria eram homens (52.32%). A falha de extubação (FE) ocorreu em 105 pacientes (22.2%). Pacientes com sepse tiveram maior taxa de falha de extubação (27% vs 18.7%; p = 0.009) e maior tempo de permanência na CTI (16.0 ± 16.7 vs. 12.0 ± 25.0 dias; p = 0.02). Conclusão: Indivíduos internados em CTI em Ventilação Mecânica devido à sepse apresentam maior risco de falha de extubação e maior tempo de permanência na CTI que pacientes não sépticos. Estes achados justificam a realização de estudos visando a identificação de fatores associados a falha de extubação na sepse. / Introduction: Severe sepsis accounts for 20% of all admissions to intensive care unit (ICU) and is the leading cause of death in non-cardiac ICU. Septic patients often require mechanical ventilation and failure of weaning is associated with increased mortality. Nevertheless, it is not well established if there are differences between sepsis or no sepsis reasons for mechanical ventilation (MV) nor chances of extubation. Objective: To compare the influence of the diagnosis of sepsis on the incidence of extubation failure in patients admitted to intensive care units with or without the diagnosis of sepsis. Design: prospective observational clinical study. Patients: Patients were consecutively enrolled at three ICU from Porto Alegre, Brazil from January, 2004 till December, 2008 if they were 17 years or older, on mechanical ventilation for a period greater than 24 hours and. Pregnant, tracheostomized and patients who failed spontaneous breathing trial (SBT) or who were not extubated after six hours of SBT were excluded from the study. Methods and measurements: Patients with successful SBT were followed for 48 hours. Data collection included ventilation parameters, arterial blood gas examination, thorax radiograph and the weaning indexes (f/VT, MIP, MEP, PaO2/FiO2, f, and VT) during MV in the 1st and 30th minutes of SBT. Results: A total of 474 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 57.9 ± 19.15 and most was men (52.32%). Overall, Extubation Failure (EF) occurred in 105 (22.2%). Patients with sepsis had a higher rate of extubation failure (27% vs 18.7%, p = 0.009) and stayed longer at the ICU (16.0 ± 16.7 vs. 12.0 ± 25.0 days, p = 0.02). Conclusion: Individuals at ICU on Mechanical Ventilation due to sepsis are at higher risk of failure of extubation than no septic individuals. These findings justify conducting studies aimed at identifying factors associated with extubation failure in sepsis.