Immediate extubation after off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery in 1,196 consecutive patients: feasibility, safety and predictors of when not to attempt it.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and safety of immediate extubation (ultrafast-track anesthesia [UFTA]) in the operating room, and the predictors of when not to attempt it in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery (OPCAB).

Design: Case series.

Setting: A private hospital.

Participants: One thousand one hundred ninety-six patients undergoing OPCAB surgery, representing 4 years of a single anesthesia service's practice (3 anesthesiologists), were evaluated for immediate extubation. All patients were considered amenable to immediate extubation if specific criteria were met.

Intervention: Patients received general anesthesia (UFTA protocol) and underwent off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Measurements And Main Results: One thousand sixty-five patients (89%) met extubation criteria and were extubated successfully in the operating room. By multivariate analysis, the following independent predictors of avoiding immediate extubation were identified: reoperation (odds ratio [OR] = 3.9, p < 0.001), pre-existing renal disease (OR = 3.1, p < 0.0001), diabetes (OR = 1.7, p < 0.007), preoperative intra-aortic balloon pump placement (OR = 7.4, p < 0.0001), and total surgical time (OR = 3.7, p < 0.0001). Patients who met extubation criteria had lower in-hospital reintubation (2.5% v 16%, p < 0.001), myocardial infarction (1.03% v 4.58%, p = 0.001), renal insufficiency (2.2% v 7.63%, p < 0.001), stroke (0.4% v 2.29%, p = 0.032), and mortality rates (1.2% v 10.7%, p < 0.001) than patients who did not.

Conclusions: UFTA is feasible and safe in most patients undergoing OPCAB surgery. Baseline and intraoperative data predicted when immediate extubation should not be attempted.