TY - JOUR T1 - Utilization of a Risk Stratification Tool and Volume-Based Cuff Leak Test to Assess Postextubation Stridor JF - Respiratory Care SP - 309 LP - 319 DO - 10.4187/respcare.10285 VL - 68 IS - 3 AU - Richard H Kallet AU - Aya Matsushima AU - Susan Yoo AU - Michael S Lipnick Y1 - 2023/03/01 UR - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/68/3/309.abstract N2 - BACKGROUND: Postextubation stridor (PES) is an imminently life-threatening event. Maximizing patient safety requires a systematic approach to screen patients for PES risk factors and a standardized test to evaluate that risk. This retrospective study of adult subjects was based on quality assurance data including standardized surveillance screening criteria and a volume-based cuff leak test (CLT) to evaluate PES risk among predominantly surgical-trauma and neurotrauma subjects. Data characterizing PES subjects also were collected.METHODS: Data were collected between May 2010–December 2017 for all intubated subjects in our surgical-trauma, neurotrauma, and medical ICUs. Respiratory therapists were trained in performing both PES risk assessment surveillance and a volume-based CLT. A pre hoc cutoff leak volume of < 110 mL defined a true positive test result when associated with PES, and a leak ≥ 110 mL defined a true negative test if PES was absent. Multiple comparisons were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis tests and dichotomous variables assessed by Fisher exact tests. Alpha was set at 0.05.RESULTS: In 681 pre-extubation CLTs ∼85% produced true-negative results and 15% consisted of true-positive (∼4%), false-negative (∼5%), and false-positive (∼6%) results. Positive and negative predictive values were 0.42 (0.32–0.54) and 0.94 (0.92-0.96), respectively. The PES likelihood ratio was 7.0, and correct classification was 89%. Of the 115 PES incidences occurring in 112 PES cases, 67% were female and 48% had suffered acute brain injury.CONCLUSIONS: Among predominantly surgical-trauma and neurotrauma subjects with a CLT, leak volume of ≥ 110 mL was associated with a PES risk of ∼6%, whereas the risk of PES was 7 times greater when the leak volume was < 110 mL. ER -