title: Weaning from mechanical ventilation: a cross-sectional study of reference values and the discriminative validity of aging.
abstract: [Purpose] To evaluate pre-extubation variables and check the discriminative validity of age as well as its correlation with weaning failure in elderly patients. [Subjects and Methods] Two hundred thirty-nine consecutive patients (48% female) who were on mechanical ventilation and had undergone orotracheal intubation were divided into four subgroups according to their age: <59 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, and >80 years old. The expiratory volume (VE), respiratory frequency (f), tidal volume (VT), and respiratory frequency/tidal volume ratio (f/VT) were used to examine differences in weaning parameters between the four subgroups, and age was correlated with weaning failure. [Results] The rate of weaning failure was 27.8% in patients aged >80 years and 22.1% in patients aged <60 years old. Elderly patients presented higher f/VT and f values and lower VT values. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for f/VT ratio were smaller than those published previously. [Conclusion] Our results indicate that aging influences weaning criteria without causing an increase in weaning failure.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences, Medical School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil ; Casa di Cura Villa Serena, Italy.
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Corbellini
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences, Medical School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Cristiane Brenner Eilert
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Trevisan
authors.affiliation: IRCCS Don Gnocchi Foundation, Italy.
authors.forename: Jorge Hugo
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Villafañe
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Medical Sciences, Medical School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doval da Costa
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Silvia Regina Rios
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Vieira
keywords: Aging; Mechanical ventilation; Weaning