The development of an early extubation algorithm for patients after cardiac surgery

Changes in the way health care services are being reimbursed have resulted in the need to streamline care for patients who have undergone cardiac surgery, while preserving quality and positive outcomes. One method for reducing length of stay and overall cost of care is to adopt an early extubation program. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) To share the process by which one hospital successfully initiated an early extubation program for their patients who had undergone cardiac surgery, and (2) To share the extubation algorithm, which is the tool designed by the health care team to guide the nursing and respiratory therapy staff members through the multiple steps and decision making points on the way to safe and timely extubation of the patient after cardiac surgery.