title: Smart Care™ versus respiratory physiotherapy-driven manual weaning for critically ill adult patients: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A recent meta-analysis showed that weaning with SmartCare™ (Dräger, Lübeck, Germany) significantly decreased weaning time in critically ill patients. However, its utility compared with respiratory physiotherapist-protocolized weaning is still a matter of debate. We hypothesized that weaning with SmartCare™ would be as effective as respiratory physiotherapy-driven weaning in critically ill patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult critically ill patients mechanically ventilated for more than 24 hours in the adult intensive care unit of the Albert Einstein Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil, were randomly assigned to be weaned either by progressive discontinuation of pressure support ventilation (PSV) with SmartCare™. Demographic data, respiratory function parameters, level of PSV, tidal volume (VT), positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), inspired oxygen fraction (FIO2), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), end-tidal carbon dioxide concentration (EtCO2) and airway occlusion pressure at 0.1 second (P0.1) were recorded at the beginning of the weaning process and before extubation. Mechanical ventilation time, weaning duration and rate of extubation failure were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy patients were enrolled 35 in each group. There was no difference between the two groups concerning age, sex or diagnosis at study entry. There was no difference in maximal inspiratory pressure, maximal expiratory pressure, forced vital capacity or rapid shallow breathing index at the beginning of the weaning trial. PEEP, VT, FIO2, SpO2, respiratory rate, EtCO2 and P0.1 were similar between the two groups, but PSV was not (median: 8 vs. 10 cmH2O; p =0.007). When the patients were ready for extubation, PSV (8 vs. 5 cmH2O; p =0.015) and PEEP (8 vs. 5 cmH2O; p <0.001) were significantly higher in the respiratory physiotherapy-driven weaning group. Total duration of mechanical ventilation (3.5 [2.0-7.3] days vs. 4.1 [2.7-7.1] days; p =0.467) and extubation failure (2 vs. 2; p =1.00) were similar between the two groups. Weaning duration was shorter in the respiratory physiotherapy-driven weaning group (60 [50-80] minutes vs. 110 [80-130] minutes; p <0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A respiratory physiotherapy-driven weaning protocol can decrease weaning time compared with an automatic system, as it takes into account individual weaning difficulties.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02122016 . Date of Registration: 27 August 2013.
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. corinnetani@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. elivane.victor@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Elivane S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. talita.stuchi@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Talita
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pieri
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. renata.moura@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Henn
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. carolina.azevedo@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. erica.giovanetti@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giovanetti
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. cilene@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Cilene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saghabi
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. karinatt@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Timenetsky
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. Raquel_case@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Caserta Eid
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. silva.eliezer@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Eliezer
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. gustavo.matos@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Gustavo F J
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. guilherme.schettino@einstein.br.
authors.forename: Guilherme P P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Schettino
authors.affiliation: Adult ICU, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Avenida Albert Einstein, 627, 5 andar, São Paulo, SP, CEP:05652-900, Brazil. carmen.barbas@gmail.com.|Respiratory ICU, University of São Paulo Medical School, Avenida Dr Eneas de Carvalho Aguiar, 255, 6 andar, São Paulo, CEP: 05403-000, Brazil. carmen.barbas@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Carmen S V
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Barbas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D060666:Airway Extubation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D001938:Brazil; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy*; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000592:standards*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D015300:Ventilator Weaning / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards