title: Analyzing the outcome of early versus prolonged extubation following cardiac surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study considered the factors associated with prolonged ventilation and the effects of reduced extubation times on patient recovery, intensive care unit stay, and overall hospital stay.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was performed, including 86 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery from August 2006 to January 2007. The patients were divided into two groups following intensive care unit admission: Group A, duration of intubation <4 h (n=34); Group B, duration of intubation >4 h (n=52).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two deaths occurred in 86 patients, and overall hospital mortality was 2.32%. Patients in Group A were younger (33.2+/-12 versus 45.8+/-13 years; p=0.001) and had better preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (62.4+/-9.8 versus 44.6+/-9.4; p=0.003) than those in Group B. Moreover, Group A patients had a shorter intensive care unit length of stay (1.7+/-0.5 versus 2.2+/-0.8 days; p=0.006) and were discharged earlier than Group B patients (2.7+/-2.4 versus 4.01+/-3.96; p=0.014).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early extubation offers a substantial advantage in terms of accelerated recovery, shorter intensive care unit, and hospital stay, suggesting that efforts to reduce extubation times are cost-effective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Aisha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rashid
authors.forename: Kiran Abdul
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sattar
authors.forename: Mudassir Iqbal
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Dar
authors.forename: Abdul Bari
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures / Q000401:mortality; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome