Objective
Respiratory muscle weakness frequently develops during mechanical ventilation, although in children there are limited data about its prevalence and whether it is associated with extubation outcomes. We sought to identify risk factors for pediatric extubation failure, with specific attention to respiratory muscle strength.
Design
Secondary analysis of prospectively collected data
Setting
Tertiary care pediatric ICU
Patients
409 mechanically ventilated children
Interventions
Respiratory measurements using esophageal manometry and respiratory inductance plethysmography were made pre-extubation during airway occlusion and on CPAP of 5 and PS of 10/ above PEEP 5 cmH20, as well as 5 and 60 minutes post-extubation.
Measurements and Main Results
Thirty-four patients (8.3%) were re-intubated within 48 hours of extubation. Re-intubation risk factors included lower maximum airway pressure during airway occlusion (aPiMax), longer length of ventilation, post-extubation upper airway obstruction (UAO), high respiratory effort post-extubation (Pressure Rate Product (PRP), Pressure Time Product, Tension Time Index) and high post-extubation Phase Angle. Nearly 35% of children had diminished respiratory muscle strength (aPiMax ≤ 30 cmH20) at the time of extubation, and were nearly three times more likely to be re-intubated than those with preserved strength (aPiMax >30 cmH20; 14% vs. 5.5%, p=0.006). Re-intubation rates exceeded 20% when children with low aPiMax had moderately elevated effort after extubation (PRP > 500), while children with preserved aPiMax had re-intubation rates > 20% only when post-extubation effort was very high (PRP > 1000). When children developed post-extubation UAO, re-intubation rates were 47.4% for those with low aPiMax compared to 15.4% for those with preserved aPiMax (p=0.02). Multivariable risk factors for re-intubation included acute neurologic disease, lower aPiMax, post-extubation UAO, higher pre-extubation PEEP, higher post-extubation PRP, and lower height.
Conclusions
Neuromuscular weakness at the time of extubation was common in children and was independently associated with re-intubation, particularly when post-extubation effort was high.
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