[Time of extubation and postoperative outcome after thoracotomy]

Early tracheal extubation following surgical procedures favors clinical evolution of patients and reduces incidence and time of stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), minimizing hospital costs. Immediate postoperative period of pulmonary resections often takes place in the ICU and patients are kept intubated. This study evaluated hospital records of patients submitted to thoracotomy and a correlation between extubation time, postoperative evolution and ICU stay was established.

Retrospective cohort study of records of 121 patients submitted to pulmonary parenchyma resection (not biopsies) was carried out. Stay in the ICU and time of tracheal extubation were related. Postoperative evolution was classified as good or bad according to occurrence of some of the following conditions: infections, respiratory disorders (reintubation, bronchospasm, acute pulmonary edema, need of tracheotomy, atelectasis, fistulae), re-operation due to bleeding and death. Among the two groups preoperative conditions, anesthetic physical status (American Society of Anesthesiologists--ASA criteria), presence of associated diseases, respiratory functional evaluation and duration of surgery were analyzed. Relative risk was used to evaluate effect of time of extubation (immediate or non-immediate) on the postoperative evolution of patients.

Patient distribution related to extubation time was: 81% immediate extubation, 15% non-immediate extubation and 4% not extubated. Destination after surgery was: 73% ICU and 27% post-anesthetic recovery room. Incidence of associated diseases (arterial hypertension, diabetes, obstructive or restrictive pulmonary disease and cardiopathy) among the immediately extubated group and non-immediately extubated group was 37% and 41.6%, respectively. Related to ASA physical status: 62% ASA 1 or 2 in the immediately extubated group and 58.3% ASA 1 or 2 in the non- immediately extubated group. Surgical time was (mean +/- standard deviation) 372.34 +/- 107.84 minutes and 432.61 +/- 117.30 minutes in immediately extubated and non- immediately extubated group, respectively. Relative risk of immediate extubation leading to a poor evolution was of 0.81, while non- immediate extubation leading to a poor evolution was of 1.5.

Safe immediate tracheal extubation of patients submitted to pulmonary resection surgery is possible. This kind of management favors postoperative recuperation out of ICU, which results in patients and hospital benefits, mainly referred to costs.