title: Are blood gases necessary in mechanically ventilated patients who have successfully completed a spontaneous breathing trial?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The utility of routinely obtaining arterial blood gas analyses (ABGs) prior to extubation in patients who have successfully completed a spontaneous breathing trial is not known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Review our practices and determine our extubation success rate with a policy of selective ABG utilization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We reviewed 54 extubations of 52 patients. Sixty-five percent of the extubations were performed without obtaining an ABG after the spontaneous breathing trial. The extubation success rate was 94% for the entire group and was the same regardless of whether an ABG measurement was obtained (94.7% vs 94.3%, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ABG measurement does not appear to be a prerequisite to extubation following a clinically successful spontaneous breathing trial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Memorial Medical Center, 1086 Franklin Street, Johnstown, PA 15905, USA.
authors.forename: Shawn R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Pawson
authors.forename: Jack L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: DePriest
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003422:Critical Care; D020878:Device Removal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000097:blood*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015300:Ventilator Weaning