Incidence and Outcome of Reintubation in the Postanesthesia Care Unit: A Single-Center, Retrospective, Observational Matched Cohort Study in China.

Purpose: To investigate the incidence and outcome of reintubation after planned extubation (RAP) in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) in China.

Design: A single-center, retrospective, 1:2 matched cohort study following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement.

Methods: Among 121,965 patients in the PACU, 14 patients with RAP were included in this study from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019. PACU length of stay, postoperative length of stay in hospital, inpatient healthcare costs, and outcomes were compared between the RAP and the matched groups.

Findings: The incidence of RAP was 0.0115%. After propensity score matching, there were no statistically significant differences in age, sex, body mass index (BMI), elective/nonelective procedure, surgical classification, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, the duration of anesthesia, or the duration of surgical procedure between the two groups. PACU length of stay, postoperative length of stay in hospital, and inpatient healthcare costs significantly differed between the RAP group and the matched group (P < .01 for all). The percentage of patients with longer PACU length of stay in the RAP group was significantly higher than that in the matched group (92.86% vs 7.14%), with an odds ratio of 29.87 (95% confidence interval = 14.00-2,040.54, P < .001).

Conclusions: Despite its low incidence, RAP in the PACU may be associated with life-threatening and severe complications with longer PACU length of stay, unexpected intensive care unit admission, longer hospitalization length, longer postoperative length of stay in hospital, and increased inpatient health costs. Appropriate timing of extubation and monitoring in the PACU can effectively prevent the occurrence of RAP and improve patient prognosis.