Safety issues regarding early extubation after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Potential safety issues related to early extubation include the effect of changes in anesthetic management on intraoperative hemodynamics, stress responses and awareness, altered management in the control of pain, shivering and ischemia in the early postoperative period, and the risks of reintubation in patients who might require reoperation for bleeding. The literature does not implicate any technique necessary to facilitate early extubation as being associated with adverse outcome. Definitive outcome studies are only beginning to be presented, but the data so far suggest that early extubation is not associated with any increase risk of mortality or morbidity, including, specifically, myocardial ischemia or infarction. These studies of early extubation have involved selected patients, and it is unknown but unlikely that early extubation can be recommended for all patients, particularly those who might be at risk for perioperative ischemia as the result of inadequate myocardial protection, unsatisfactory surgery, or other factors yet to be identified. In the absence of definitive studies, it may be prudent to manage high-risk patients with a more conservative approach. Complications such as low cardiac output, arrhythmias, stroke, and perioperative myocardial infarction have not increased with early extubation, at least in patients selected for early extubation on the basis of preoperative characteristics. In summary, available evidence suggests that early extubation, applied to many but probably not all patients, can be accomplished without demonstrable patient harm. A coordinated approach involving anesthesia, surgery, nursing, respiratory therapy, and other support services is essential, and constant reevaluation as events unfold, rather than rigid protocols, allows care to be individualized to the specific needs of each patient.