On-table Extubation After Minimally Invasive Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Observational Pilot Study

To assess the safety of "on-table" extubation after minimally-invasive heart valve surgery.

A single-center retrospective observational study.

At a tertiary referral academic hospital.

Patients who underwent nonemergent isolated heart valve surgery through a minithoracotomy approach between January 2016 and August 2021.

All patients were treated by 1 of the 6 cardiac anesthesiologists of the hospital. Only some of them practiced "on-table" extubation, and the outcome of patients extubated "on-table" was compared to those extubated in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The primary outcome was the occurrence of any postoperative respiratory complication during the entire hospital stay. Secondary outcomes included the use of inotropes and vasopressors, de novo atrial fibrillation, and lengths of stay in the ICU and the hospital. A total of 294 patients met inclusion criteria, of whom 186 (63%) were extubated "on-table." Cardiopulmonary bypass duration was significantly longer, and moderate intraoperative hypothermia was significantly more frequent in patients extubated in the ICU. After adjustment for these confounders and for the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II using a multivariate logistic model, no association was found between the extubation strategy and postoperative pulmonary complications (adjusted odds ratio = 0.84; 95% CI = 0.40-1.77; p = 0.64). "On-table" extubation was associated with a lower risk of postoperative pneumonia and fewer vasopressors requirements.

"On-table" extubation was not associated with an increased incidence of respiratory complications. A randomized controlled trial is warranted to confirm these results and determine whether "on-table" extubation offers additional benefits.