Cardiac variables as main predictors of endotracheal reintubation rate after cardiac surgery

Reintubation in patients after cardiac surgery is associated with undesirable consequences. The purpose of the present study was to identify variables that could predict reintubation necessity in this group of patients.

We performed a prospective study in 1000 consecutive adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The patients who required reintubation after extubation were compared with patients not requiring reintubation regarding demographic and preoperative clinical variables, including postoperative complications and in-hospital mortality.

Postoperatively, 26 (2.6%) of the 1000 patients studied required reintubation due to respiratory, cardiac, or neurological reasons. Advanced age and mainly cardiac variables were determined as univariate intra- and postoperative predictors of reintubation (all p values < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed lower preoperative (p = 0.014; OR = 3.00, 95%CI: 1.25 - 7.21), and postoperative ejection fraction (p = 0.001; OR = 11.10, 95%CI: 3.88 - 31.79), valvular disease (p = 0.043; OR = 1.84, 95%CI: 1.05 - 3.96), arrhythmia (p = 0.006; OR = 3.84, 95%CI: 1.47 - 10.03), and postoperative intra-aortic balloon pump requirement (p = 0.019; OR = 4.20, 95%CI: 1.26 - 14.00) as the independent predictors of reintubation.

These findings reveal that cardiac variables are more common and significant predictors of reintubation after cardiac surgery in adult patients than are respiratory variables. The incidence of this complication, reintubation, is low, although it could result in significant postoperative morbidity and mortality.