Delays in extubation following elective adult cardiac surgery

Early extubation post coronary artery bypass grafting does not increase perioperative morbidity and reduces the length of stay (LOS) in the ICU and in hospital [1]. Use of low-dose opioid- based general anaesthesia and time-directed protocols for fast- track interventions does not increase mortality or postoperative complications in low-moderate-risk patients and has been found to have a reduced time to extubation and shortened ICU stay [2]. Our mean time to extubation is 6 hours, although patients are assessed to be safe to be weaned from mechanical ventilation at 2 hours following arrival in the ICU. This study aims to identify factors that delay extubation in patients undergoing routine cardiac surgery at our institution.