….extubating cardiac surgery patients in the OR leads to better patient outcomes?
Extubating in the OR
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons recommends extubating cardiac surgery patients within 0 to 6 hours post-surgery. Prolonged intubation for more than 24 hours after cardiac surgery is associated with poor outcomes and increased mortality. This may be largely a function of prolonged exposure to a combination of intravenous paralytics, sedation and ventilatory support.1 Over the past decade, early extubation protocols have become more widely accepted and have led to quality outcomes following cardiac surgery.
Under the leadership of cardiothoracic surgeon, Sevak Darbinian, MD, an initiative to extubate in the operating room at Providence Mission Hospital has been very successful, so much so that Providence St. Jude and St. Joseph of Orange are following suit. The latest data shows that 95% of the patients are not extubated in the OR.
The patient experiences better outcomes with no ventilator or sedatives post-surgery. Their chance of acquiring pneumonia is close to zero and costs are driven down, saving the patient money. The goal is to have zero intubated hours outside of the OR, post-surgery.
Below is the data for this project in the Orange County service area and a comparison to the Los Angeles and High Desert ministries.
For more information, please reach out to Sevak Darbinian, MD at Sevak.Darbinian@stjoe.org.
