1. Early Extubation in a Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Program Located at High Altitude
- Author
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Felipa Acosta-Garduño, Pablo Motta, Héctor Díliz-Nava, Orlando Tamariz-Cruz, Alexis Palacios-Macedo, Luis García-Benítez, Marcela Barrera-Fuentes, and Edgar Hernández-Beltrán
- Subjects
Heart Defects, Congenital ,medicine.medical_specialty ,030204 cardiovascular system & hematology ,law.invention ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Altitude ,law ,Intubation, Intratracheal ,medicine ,Humans ,Cardiac Surgical Procedures ,Child ,Retrospective Studies ,business.industry ,General Medicine ,Length of Stay ,Effects of high altitude on humans ,Intensive care unit ,Cardiac surgery ,030228 respiratory system ,Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health ,Emergency medicine ,Airway Extubation ,Surgery ,Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine ,business - Abstract
Background: Early extubation is performed either in the operating room or in the cardiovascular intensive care unit during the first 24 postoperative hours; however, altitude might possibly affect the process. The aim of this study is the evaluation of early extubation feasibility of patients undergoing congenital heart surgery in a center located at 2,691 m (8,828 ft.) above sea level. Material and Methods: Patients undergoing congenital heart surgery, from August 2012 through December 2018, were considered for early extubation. The following variables were recorded: weight, serum lactate, presence or not of Down syndrome, optimal oxygenation and acid–base status according to individual physiological condition (biventricular or univentricular), age, bypass time, and ventricular function. Standardized anesthetic management with dexmedetomidine–fentanyl–rocuronium and sevoflurane was used. If extubation in the operating room was considered, 0.08 mL/kg of 0.5% ropivacaine was injected into the parasternal intercostal spaces bilaterally before closing the sternum. Results: Four hundred seventy-eight patients were operated and 81% were early extubated. Mean pre- and postoperative SaO2 was 92% and 98%; postoperative SaO2 for Glenn and Fontan procedures patients was 82% and 91%, respectively. Seventy-three percent of patients who underwent Glenn procedure, 89% of those who underwent Fontan procedure (all nonfenestrated), and 85% with Down syndrome were extubated in the operating room. Reintubation rate in early extubated patients was 3.6%. Conclusion: Early extubation is feasible, with low reintubation rates, at 2,691 m (8,828 ft.) above sea level, even in patients with single ventricle physiology.
- Published
- 2021