Extubation Assessment in the ED
OVERVIEW
- The general principles are the same as for extubation of ICU patients (see Extubation Assessment in the ICU)
- However, the criteria for extubation in the ED are generally more stringent as most ED staff are less experienced and less familiar with the process
PATIENT SELECTION
The approach below is suitable for patients that have undergone short-term intubation. Such patients include:
- alcohol-intoxicated head trauma patients following normal CT head
- patients requiring short-term airway protection for procedural sedation (e.g. endoscopy in the ED)
- overdose patients with short-term CNS obtundation (e.g. GHB intoxication)
- patients who require palliation (…remember to consider organ donation)
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
Consider the following early in the management of these patients to expedite the extubation process:
- use a slightly smaller ETT than usual (e.g. size 7.5 instead of 8.0 on an adult male)
- use fentanyl and propofol for sedation (wear off rapidly)
- avoid ongoing neuromuscular blockade
- consider continuing low dose fentanyl infusion at the time of extubation to control discomfort of intubation or pain from other sources
APPROACH
George Douros from EDTeaching.com has developed this algorithmic guide to the process of extubation in the ED based on the work of Scott Weingart and the Difficult Airway Society guidelines:
References and Links
CCC Ventilation Series
Modes: Adaptive Support Ventilation (ASV), Airway Pressure Release Ventilation (APRV), High Frequency Oscillation Ventilation (HFOV), High Frequency Ventilation (HFV), Modes of ventilation, Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV), Spontaneous breathing and mechanical ventilation
Conditions: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), ARDS Definitions, ARDS Literature Summaries, Asthma, Bronchopleural Fistula, Burns, Oxygenation and Ventilation, COPD, Haemoptysis, Improving Oxygenation in ARDS, NIV and Asthma, NIV and the Critically Ill, Ventilator Induced Lung Injury (VILI), Volutrauma
Strategies: ARDSnet Ventilation, Open lung approach, Oxygen Saturation Targets, Protective Lung Ventilation, Recruitment manoeuvres in ARDS, Sedation pauses, Selective Lung Ventilation
Adjuncts: Adjunctive Respiratory Therapies, ECMO Overview, Heliox, Neuromuscular blockade in ARDS, Prone positioning and Mechanical Ventilation
Situations: Cuff leak, Difficulty weaning, High Airway Pressures, Post-Intubation Care, Post-intubation hypoxia
Troubleshooting: Autotriggering of the ventilator, High airway and alveolar pressures / pressure alarm, Ventilator Dyssynchrony
Investigation / Indices: A-a gradient, Capnography and waveforms, Electrical Impedance Tomography, Indices that predict difficult weaning, PaO2/FiO2 Ratio (PF), Transpulmonary pressure (TPP)
Extubation: Cuff Leak Test, Extubation Assessment in ED, Extubation Assessment in ICU, NIV for weaning, Post-Extubation Stridor, Spontaneous breathing trial, Unplanned extubation, Weaning from mechanical ventilation
Core Knowledge: Basics of Mechanical Ventilation, Driving Pressure, Dynamic pressure-volume loops, flow versus time graph, flow volume loops, Indications and complications, Intrinsic PEEP (autoPEEP), Oxygen Haemoglobin Dissociation Curve, Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP), Pulmonary Mechanics, Pressure Vs Time Graph, Pressure vs Volume Loop, Setting up a ventilator, Ventilator waveform analysis, Volume vs time graph
Equipment: Capnography and CO2 Detector, Heat and Moisture Exchanger (HME), Ideal helicopter ventilator, Wet Circuit
MISC: Sedation in ICU, Ventilation literature summaries
Journal articles and textbooks
- Weingart SD, Menaker J, Truong H, Bochicchio K, Scalea TM. Trauma patients can be safely extubated in the emergency department. J Emerg Med. 2011 Feb;40(2):235-9. PMID: 19703744. [Free fulltext via EMCrit]
Social media and web resources
- DAS — Extubation guidelines
- EMCrit Podcast 35 – Extubation in the ED (with a link to Scott Weingart’s paper and his protocol)
- PulmCCM.org — Tobin: “Minimal” PEEP and pressure support during SBT kills some patients (AJRCCM)
- Resus.ME — Extubation Guidelines (from the Difficult Airway Society)
- Trauma Professional’s Blog — Extubation in the Emergency Department
Critical Care
Compendium
Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at The Alfred ICU, where he is Deputy Director (Education). He is a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University, the Lead for the Clinician Educator Incubator programme, and a CICM First Part Examiner.
He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives. He was one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) has been recognised for his contributions to education with awards from ANZICS, ANZAHPE, and ACEM.
His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.
On Bluesky, he is @precordialthump.bsky.social and on the site that Elon has screwed up, he is @precordialthump.
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