Early Extubation: Who Qualifies Postoperatively in Lung Transplantation?

INTRODUCTION

Early extubation has been adopted in many settings within cardiothoracic surgery, with several advantages for patients. We sought to determine the association of timing of extubation in lung transplant recipients' short- and long-term outcomes.

METHODS

Adult, primary lung transplants were identified from the United Network for Organ Sharing database. Recipients were stratified based on the duration of postoperative ventilation: 1) None (NV); 2) <5 Days (<5D); and 3) 5+ Days (5+D). Comparative statistics were performed, and both unadjusted and adjusted survival were analyzed with Kaplan-Meier Methods and a Cox proportional hazard model. A multivariable model including recipient, donor, and transplant characteristics was created to examine factors associated with NV.

RESULTS

28,575 recipients were identified (NV = 960, <5D = 21,959, 5+D = 5656). The NV group had shorter median length of stay (P < 0.01) and lower incidence of postoperative dialysis (P < 0.01). The NV and <5D groups had similar survival, while 5+D recipients had decreased survival (P < 0.01). The multivariable model demonstrated increased donor BMI, center volume, ischemic time, single lung transplant, and transplantation between 2011 and 2015 were associated with NV (P < 0.01 for all). Use of donation after cardiac death donors and transplantation between 2016 and 2021 was associated with postoperative ventilator use.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients extubated early after lung transplantation have a shorter median length of stay without an associated increase in mortality. While not all patients are appropriate for earlier extubation, it is possible to extubate patients early following lung transplant. Further efforts are necessary to help expand this practice and ensure its' success for recipients.

Failure to meet extubation criteria in the setting of suspected buffalo chest physiology

We report the case of a patient who failed to meet tracheal extubation criteria due to low tidal volumes from suspected buffalo chest, which is a single pleural space physiology. This presentation followed the resection of a large pleural mass in a 59-year-old woman with a history of exercise-induced asthma, hypertension and tumour-related chronic respiratory failure. Creation of a pleuro-pleural communication during the resection of this large, unilateral pleural mass led to bilateral pneumothoraces and contributed to patients inability to generate negative inspiratory force leading to failure to meet extubation criteria. Buffalo chest may be more prevalent than suspected and should be a differential diagnosis for low tidal volumes with spontaneous ventilation following thoracic surgery. It can be differentiated from other causes of decreased tidal volume using clinical examination, ultrasound and radiography. Bilateral chest tube placement can be considered to expedite pneumothorax resolution and tracheal extubation.

Operating room extubation: A predictive factor for 1-year survival after double-lung transplantation

BACKGROUND

Operating room (OR) extubation has been reported after lung transplantation (LT) in small cohorts. This study aimed to evaluate the prognosis of OR-extubated patients. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the safety of this approach and to identify its predictive factors.

METHODS

This retrospective single-center cohort study included patients undergoing double lung transplantation (DLT) from January 2012 to June 2019. Patients undergoing multiorgan transplantation, repeat transplantation, or cardiopulmonary bypass during the study period were excluded. OR-extubated patients were compared with intensive care unit (ICU)-extubated patients.

RESULTS

Among the 450 patients included in the analysis, 161 (35.8%) were extubated in the OR, and 4 were reintubated within 24 hours. Predictive factors for OR extubation were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/emphysema (p = .002) and cystic fibrosis (p = .005), recipient body mass index (p = .048), and the PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio 10 minutes after second graft implantation (p < .001). OR-extubated patients had a lower prevalence of grade 3 primary graft dysfunction at day 3 (p < .001). Eight (5.0%) patients died within the first year after OR extubation, and 49 (13.5%) patients died after ICU extubation (log-rank test; p = .005). After adjustment for OR extubation predictive factors, the multivariate Cox regression model showed that OR extubation was associated with greater one-year survival (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.40 [0.16-0.91], p = .028).

CONCLUSIONS

OR extubation was associated with a favorable prognosis after DLT, but the association should not be interpreted as causality. This fast-track protocol was made possible by a team committed to developing a comprehensive strategy to enhance recovery.

Preoperative risk factors for successful extubation or not after lung transplantation

Background

The purpose of this study was to uncover preoperative risk factors for extubation failure or re-intubation for patients undergoing lung transplant (LTx).

Methods

We performed a retrospective case-control study of LTx from our center between January 2017 and March 2019. Demographic and preoperative characteristics were collected for all included patients. Univariable analysis and multivariable logistic regression were used to analyze risk factors of postoperative unsuccessful extubation following LTx.

Results

Among 107 patients undergoing first LTx investigated, 74 (69.16%) patients who were successfully liberated from mechanical ventilation (MV), and 33 (30.84%) patients who were unsuccessful extubation, which 18 (16.82%) patients suffered from reintubation. associated preoperative factors for unsuccessful extubation following LTx included preoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support [OR =4.631, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.403–15.286, P=0.012], the preoperative ability of independent expectoration (OR =4.517, 95% CI: 1.498–13.625, P=0.007), the age older than 65-year-old (OR =4.039, 95% CI: 1.154–14.139, P=0.029), and receiving the double lung and heart-LTx (OR =3.390, 95% CI: 0.873–13.162, P=0.078; and OR =16.579, 95% CI: 2.586–106.287, P=0.012, respectively). Further, we investigated the preoperative predicted factors for reintubation. Only the preoperative ECMO remained a significant predictor of re-intubation (OR =4.69, 95% CI: 1.56–15.286, P=0.012).

Conclusions

Preoperative independent sputum clearance, preoperative ECMO, older than 65-year-old, and double lung or heart-LTx were four independent risk factors for unsuccessful extubation. Moreover, preoperative ECMO was the only independent risk factor for reintubation.

Intraoperative Implications of the Recipients' Disease for Double-Lung Transplantation

OBJECTIVES

To compare intraoperative patterns among patients based on their primary pulmonary disease (cystic fibrosis [CF], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]/emphysema [CE], and pulmonary fibrosis [PF]) during double- lung transplantation. The following 3 major outcomes were reported: blood transfusion, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) management, and the possibility of immediate extubation at the end of surgery.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database, including donor and recipient characteristics and intraoperative variables.

SETTING

Foch Hospital, Suresnes, France (academic center performing 60-80 lung transplantations per year).

PARTICIPANTS

Patients who underwent double- lung transplantation from 2012-2019. Patients with retransplantation, multiorgan transplantation, or surgery performed with cardiopulmonary bypass were excluded.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Two hundred forty-six patients had CF, 117 had CE, and 66 had PF. No patient had primary pulmonary arterial hypertension. Blood transfusion was higher in the CF group than in the other 2 groups (red blood cells [p < 0.001], fresh frozen plasma [p = 0.004]). The CF and CE groups were characterized by a lower intraoperative requirement of ECMO (p = 0.002), and the PF group more frequently required postoperative ECMO (p < 0.001). CF and CE patients were more frequently extubated in the operating room than were PF patients (37.4%, 50.4%, and 13.6%, respectively; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Intraoperative outcomes differed depending on the initial pathology. Such differences should be taken into account in specific clinical studies and in intraoperative management protocols.

Statement From the Society for the Advancement of Transplant Anesthesia: White Paper Advocating Desirable Milestones and Competencies for Anesthesiology Fellowship Training in the Field of Lung Transplantation

The clinical, educational, and research facets of lung transplantation have advanced significantly since the first lung transplant in 1963. The formation of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) and subsequent Registry has forged a precedent of collaborative teamwork that has significantly affected current lung transplantation outcomes. The Society for the Advancement of Anesthesia (SATA) is dedicated to developing educational platforms for all facets of transplant anesthesia. Additionally, we believe that the anesthetic training for lung transplantation has not kept pace with other advances in the field. As such, SATA presents for consideration these educational milestones and competencies for anesthetic fellowship training in the field of lung transplantation. The proposed milestones were designed on the framework of 6 core competencies created by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education. The milestones were identified by combining the expert opinion of our Thoracic Transplant Committee, our experience as educators, and literature review. We offer this White Paper to the anesthesiology and transplant communities as a starting point for the discussion and evolution of perioperative anesthetic care in the field of lung transplantation.

Noteworthy Literature Published in 2018 for Thoracic Organ Transplantation

Publications of note from 2018 are reviewed for the cardiothoracic transplant anesthesiologist. Strategies to expand the availability of donor organs were highlighted, including improved donor management, accumulating experience with increased-risk donors, ex vivo perfusion techniques, and donation after cardiac death. A number of reports examined posttransplant outcomes, including outcomes other than mortality, with new data-driven risk models. Use of extracorporeal support in cardiothoracic transplantation was a prominent theme. Major changes in adult heart allocation criteria were implemented, aiming to improve objectivity and transparency in the listing process. Frailty and prehabilitation emerged as targets of comprehensive perioperative risk mitigation programs.