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Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Expired CO2 Measurement in Intubated or Spontaneously Breathing Patients from the Emergency Department
Published on: January 29, 2011
Evaluation of the spontaneous breathing trial in burn intensive care patients
Sarah T Smailes1, Rebecca V Martin, Andrew J McVicar
1St. Andrew's Centre for Plastic Surgery and Burns, Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford CM1 7ET, United Kingdom. sarah.smailes@meht.nhs.uk
Background:
The extubation failure rate in our burn patients is 30%.
Objective:
To evaluate the influence of the 30 min spontaneous breathing trial on extubation outcome in burn patients.
Methods:
A prospective, observational study in a burn intensive care unit. All adult patients requiring mechanical ventilation for >24h and meeting the inclusion criteria underwent a 30 min spontaneous breathing trial (SBT). Extubation was undertaken after a successful SBT.
Results:
Of 49 planned extubations, 9 failed (18%), much lower than the 30% extubation failure rate identified prior to the implementation of the SBT. The duration of ventilation was significantly shorter (p=0.04) in the patients who passed a SBT and those who failed extubation were significantly older (p=0.003). The logistic regression analysis identified that age independently predicted extubation outcome. Patients who failed extubation, after a successful SBT, had a significantly longer duration of ventilation (p=0.0001) and ITU length of stay (p=0.001).
Conclusions:
The incidence of extubation failure was much lower and the duration of ventilation significantly shorter in patients who were extubated after a successful SBT. These findings support the use of the SBT in burn patients. Age independently predicts extubation outcome in burn patients who have passed a SBT.
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