When a preterm baby reached ‘extubatable’ settings, it is debatable whether extubating them right away is the optimal strategy when considering lung and brain outcomes together. 

In this retrospective study, we compared babies who were extubated within 24 hours of meeting extubatable criteria vs. those whose extubation was delayed by >24 hours.

We found no differences in either survival without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (chronic lung disease) or survival without intraventricular hemorrhage (brain bleed). However, we cannot rule out completely the possibility that babies who were early later were healthier (and delaying extubation in those healthier babies may have led to worse outcomes). 

 

 

Link to publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31534183/