Articles: intubation.
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Postextubation stridor (PES) is an imminently life-threatening event. Maximizing patient safety requires a systematic approach to screen patients for PES risk factors and a standardized test to evaluate that risk. This retrospective study of adult subjects was based on quality assurance data including standardized surveillance screening criteria and a volume-based cuff leak test (CLT) to evaluate PES risk among predominantly surgical-trauma and neurotrauma subjects. Data characterizing PES subjects also were collected. ⋯ Among predominantly surgical-trauma and neurotrauma subjects with a CLT, leak volume of ≥ 110 mL was associated with a PES risk of ∼6%, whereas the risk of PES was 7 times greater when the leak volume was < 110 mL.