SEVENTH KEY TO SUCCESS: RECOGNITION
AND PREVENTION OF EXTUBATION
FAILURES
Extubation failure is defined by the need of re‑intubation
within the 48 or 72 h of extubation and is associated with
significant deterioration in patients’ clinical condition. This
occurs in 10–20% of patients and needs to be avoided
as carries up to 50% mortality and is highest for late
re‑intubations partly due to different severity of disease
and of underlying comorbidities at the time of extubation,
but also contributed by clinical deterioration directly
generated by extubation failure and respiratory distress
of re‑intubation, and later by the issues of prolongation
of MV. As organ failures have been shown to worsen
after re‑intubation with increase in mortality, it is prudent
to prevent it as far as possible by refining decisions to
extubate and postextubation management. Hence, to
make extubation in COPD a success, there is a need to
optimize preextubation strategies as well as postextubation
interventions so as to prevent re‑intubation.