• Yvon Riou, Wissem Chaari, Stéphane Leteurtre, and Francis Leclerc.
• University Hospital Jeanne de Flandre, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire (CHRU), Lille, France.
• J Pediatr (Rio J). 2012 May 1;88(3):217-21.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the physiological deadspace/tidal volume ratio (VD/VT) as a predictor of extubation failure in 42 ventilated children (median age: 4.75 years).MethodExtubation readiness was determined using the criteria proposed by the 6th International Consensus Conference on Intensive Care Medicine adapted to children.ResultsNon-invasive ventilation (NIV) was used in four patients who developed respiratory failure after extubation; none was reintubated. Children who needed NIV to avoid reintubation had a significantly higher VD/VT ratio than those who were extubated without NIV (p < 0.001). The cut-off value of VD/VT ratio was 0.55 and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.86.ConclusionOur findings confirm the good predictive value of weaning success/failure of the VD/VT ratio and suggest its role for predicting the need for NIV after extubation.

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