• Jian-Qiang Dai, Wei-Feng Tu, Qing-Shui Yin, Hong Xia, Guo-Dong Zheng, Liang-da Zhang, and Xian-Hua Huang.
• Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
• Eur Spine J. 2017 Mar 1; 26 (3): 840-846.

PurposeThis study explored the performance characteristics of a cuff-leak test (CLT) combined with interventional fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FBS) for evaluating whether early nasoendotracheal extubation was possible for patients who had received transoral atlantoaxial reduction plate (TARP) internal fixation surgery.Methods318 patients who underwent surgery were retrospectively analyzed (between January 2006 and December 2012). Extubation was performed by conventional approach (CA group, until December 2008) and improved approach (IA group, from January 2009) including CLT and an interventional FBS procedure. The extubation success within 1-3 days after surgery, incidence of postextubation stridor and tracheal reintubation were examined.ResultsMore IA-treated patients experienced extubation during the first 2 days than those CA-treated, median extubation time was 3 (2, 3) days in the CA group and 2 (1, 2) days in the IA group (all P < 0.01). The incidence of stridor and reintubation was 5.69 and 0.57 % in IA and 11.98 and 4.93 % in CA, respectively (both P < 0.05). For the CLT-positive patients in the IA group that remained intubated until day 3-4, interventional FBS was applied for safe extubation and achieved 100 % success.ConclusionEarly extubation through IA is safe and interventional FBS assists successful extubation for CLT-positive patients who underwent TARP surgery.

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