Spontaneous Breathing Trial for Prediction of Extubation Success in Pediatric Patients Following Congenital Heart Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial*

Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of a spontaneous breathing trial for predicting extubation success in pediatric patients in the postoperative period after cardiac surgery compared with a physician-led weaning. Study Design: Randomized, controlled trial. Setting: PICU of a tertiary-care university hospital. Patients: A population of pediatric patients following cardiac surgery for congenital heart disease. Interventions: Patients on mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours after surgery who were considered ready for weaning were randomized to the spontaneous breathing trial group or the control group. The spontaneous breathing trial was performed on continuous positive airway pressure with the pressure support of 10 cmH(2)O, the positive end-expiratory pressure of 5 cmH(2)O, and the fraction of inspired oxygen less than or equal to 0.5 for 2 hours. Patients in the control group underwent ventilator weaning according to clinical judgment. Measurements and Main Results: The primary endpoint was extubation success defined as no need for reintubation within 48 hours after extubation. Secondary outcomes were PICU length of stay, hospital length of stay, occurrence rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia, and mortality. One hundred and ten patients with the median age of 8 months were included in the study: 56 were assigned to the spontaneous breathing trial group and 54 were assigned to the control group. Demographic and clinical data and Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery-1 classification were similar in both groups. Patients undergoing the spontaneous breathing trial had greater extubation success (83% vs 68%, p = 0.02) and shorter PICU length of stay (median 85 vs 367 hr, p < 0.0001) compared with the control group, respectively. There was no significant difference between groups in hospital length of stay, occurrence rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia, and mortality. Conclusions: Pediatric patients with congenital heart disease undergoing the spontaneous breathing trial postoperatively had greater extubation success and shorter PICU length of stay compared with those weaned according to clinical judgment.