Electrolytes and Glucose Effect on Extubation Failure: A Cross-Sectional Study at Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: Extubation failure considers a common issue in intensive care units (ICUs) and leads to increased associated complications, mortality, and costs. Many factors have been identified as predictors for failed extubation, but the role of electrolytes and glucose were not fully examined in the previous research. The aim of this study, therefore, was to investigate the impact of electrolytes disturbance and glucose level on extubation outcomes among adult patients in ICU. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from electronic medical records at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC) between 2016 and 2017. Adult patients who were admitted to ICU and intubated for at least 72 hours were included in this study. Glucose and electrolytes levels were obtained 72 hours before and after extubation attempt. We used unpaired t-test to compare the mean of electrolytes and glucose level between patients with successful extubation and patients with failed extubation. This study has been approved by the King Abdullah International Medical Research Centre IRB committee (protocol number SP18/225/R). Results: A total of 2,385 patients were screened for inclusion and 82 of them met inclusion criteria A total of 82 patients were included in this study. 88% of the populations were male with a mean age of 40 years (± 14). The mean of glucose was 7.88 mmol/L for those patients who had successful extubation, where this was higher in those with failed extubation 10.2 mmol/L. The mean level of sodium was statistically different between patients who had successful extubation compared to patients with failed extubation 140.4 mmol/L vs 145 mmol.L) Conclusions: Hyperglycemia before extubation and hypernatremia after extubation may be considered predictor factors for extubation failure. The finding of this study provides insight on the possible association of glucose and sodium one the risk of extubation failure. Further epidemiological studies with the rigorous methodological design are needed to examine this association in more depth. Disclosures: All authors have nothing to disclose.