Preventing Respiratory Failure After Cardiac Surgery Using Post-extubation Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure Therapy.

Objective: Our study aimed to evaluate if an extubation protocol for all post-operative cardiac patients in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit using intermittent bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) could reduce the rate of re-intubation.

Methods: A total of 1,718 patients undergoing cardiac surgery from May 2012 to April 2016 were analyzed. Patients from May 2014 to April 2016 were included in a post-extubation BiPAP therapy protocol that included one hour of BiPAP followed by three hours of a nasal cannula for 24 hours after extubation in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit.