PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Pawson, Shawn R
AU  - DePriest, Jack L
TI  - Are Blood Gases Necessary in Mechanically Ventilated Patients Who Have Successfully Completed a Spontaneous Breathing Trial?
DP  - 2004 Nov 01
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - 1316--1319
VI  - 49
IP  - 11
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/49/11/1316.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/49/11/1316.full
AB  - BACKGROUND: The utility of routinely obtaining arterial blood gas analyses (ABGs) prior to extubation in patients who have successfully completed a spontaneous breathing trial is not known. OBJECTIVE: Review our practices and determine our extubation success rate with a policy of selective ABG utilization. METHODS: Retrospective chart review. RESULTS: We reviewed 54 extubations of 52 patients. Sixty-five percent of the extubations were performed without obtaining an ABG after the spontaneous breathing trial. The extubation success rate was 94% for the entire group and was the same regardless of whether an ABG measurement was obtained (94.7% vs 94.3%, respectively). CONCLUSION: ABG measurement does not appear to be a prerequisite to extubation following a clinically successful spontaneous breathing trial.