Critical care nurse
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Critical care nurse · Dec 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialExtubation with or without spontaneous breathing trial.
Purpose- To evaluate whether spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) are necessary when extubating critical care patients. Methods- A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was performed in adult patients supported by mechanical ventilation for at least 48 hours in the general intensive care unit of a teaching hospital. Patients ready for weaning were randomly assigned to either the SBT group (extubation with an SBT) or the no-SBT group (extubation without an SBT). ⋯ In the SBT and no-SBT groups, 5 (8.2%) and 6 (10.0%) patients, respectively, needed reintubation; 7 (11.5%) and 9 (15.0%) patients, respectively, required noninvasive ventilation after extubation. In-hospital mortality did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusion- Intensive care patients can be extubated successfully without an SBT.