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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Inspiratory Muscle Training as an Adjunct to the Treatment of Weaning Failure in Critically Ill Patients: A Practical Guide
Published on: January 30, 2026
[TISS-28 in difficult to wean patients after long-term mechanical ventilation]
Bernd Schönhofer1, Wolf Harms, Rolf Lefering
1Krankenhaus Kloster Grafschaft, Zentrum für Pneumologie, Beatmungs- und Schlafmedizin, Schmallenberg. bernd.schoenhofer@t-online.de
Purpose:
To compare the Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS) 28 in difficult to wean patients before and after transfer to a weaning center.
Patients And Methods:
Using TISS-28, the authors investigated the difference between regular intensive care units (ICUs) and the respiratory ICU (RICU) of their hospital in difficult to wean patients after long-term mechanical ventilation (MV). Special emphasis was placed on the appropriateness of TISS-28 to cover the specific weaning activities. 63 tracheotomized patients ventilated for more than 14 days were included.
Results:
In total, 15.9% of patients were not weaned, 20.6% of population was successfully weaned with noninvasive ventilation (NIV), and 63.5% of patients was successfully weaned without NIV. The transfer of patients from other ICUs to a weaning facility resulted in a significant reduction of total TISS-28 from 29.5 to 23.8 points (p<0.001) on average.
Conclusion:
The high weaning success rate in a specialized facility is associated with a significant reduction of TISS-28 scores. The use of TISS-28 in a weaning center for patients with prolonged MV to measure workload does not adequately mirror the efforts by physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, and other health-care personnel.
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