title: Success rate and neonatal morbidities associated with early extubation in extremely low birth weight infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mechanical ventilation improves survival of preterm infants with respiratory failure. The aim of this study was to determine the success rate and short-term neonatal morbidities of early extubation in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants in a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study of ELBW infants admitted to a tertiary. neonatal intensive care referral unit from January 1 st to December 31 st , 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome was the success rate of early extubation in ELBW infants who were intubated at delivery, extubated in the first 48 hours of life, and did not require reintubation within 72 hours following extubation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty of the 95 eligible infants were extubated early; of these 30 infants, 24 (80%) had a successful extubation. Infants extubated early had a higher mean birth weight (855 vs 745 g; P<.0001) and gestational age (27.3 vs 25.6 weeks; P<.0001). ELBW infants who were extubated early had lower rates of death (relative risk [RR], 0.05; 95% CI, (0.0, 0.79); P=.003), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) (RR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.08, 0.70; P=.008), and patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.60, 0.98; P=.03) compared with those who remained ventilated beyond the first 48 hours of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of successful early extubation in our unit exceeded the sole previously reported rate. Successful early extubation was associated with lower rates of death, IVH, and PDA in ELBW infants.
authors: Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, King Saud University, College of Medicine, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. kfaleh@ksu.edu.sa
authors: Khaled
authors: K
authors: Al Faleh
authors: Kenneth
authors: K
authors: Liew
authors: Jasim
authors: J
authors: Anabrees
authors: Kayal
authors: K
authors: Thevathasan
authors: Bosco
authors: B
authors: Paes
mesh_terms: D060666:Airway Extubation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome