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Clinical usefulness of reintubation criteria in extremely preterm infants: a cohort study

Alarcon-Martinez T, Latremouille S, Kovacs L, Kearney RE, Sant'Anna GM, Shalish W

Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition, 2023

55 participants

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the thresholds of instability used by clinicians at reintubation and evaluate the accuracy of different combinations of criteria in predicting reintubation decisions.

DESIGN: Secondary analysis using data obtained from the prospective observational Automated Prediction of Extubation Readiness study (NCT01909947) between 2013 and 2018.

SETTING: Multicentre (three neonatal intensive care units).

PATIENTS: Infants with birth weight ≤1250 g, mechanically ventilated and undergoing their first planned extubation were included.

INTERVENTIONS: After extubation, hourly O2 requirements, blood gas values and occurrence of cardiorespiratory events requiring intervention were recorded for 14 days or until reintubation, whichever came first.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thresholds at reintubation were described and grouped into four categories: increased O2, respiratory acidosis, frequent cardiorespiratory events and severe cardiorespiratory events (requiring positive pressure ventilation). An automated algorithm was used to generate multiple combinations of criteria from the four categories and compute their accuracies in capturing reintubated infants (sensitivity) without including non-reintubated infants (specificity).

RESULTS: 55 infants were reintubated (median gestational age 25.2 weeks (IQR 24.5-26.1 weeks), birth weight 750 g (IQR 640-880 g)), with highly variable thresholds at reintubation. After extubation, reintubated infants had significantly greater O2 needs,…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a cohort study, done in people. Its evidence level is 3 of 5 (Moderate · trial / cohort / secondary analysis). Trials without a large randomized design, cohorts and secondary analyses give moderate evidence. Reported size: 55 participants or records.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

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