Tracheal extubation with suction vs. positive pressure during emergence from general anaesthesia in adults: A randomised controlled trial

Abstract Background After general anaesthesia (GA) in adults, the optimal tracheal extubation technique (positive pressure or suctioning) remains debated. The primary endpoint of this study was to assess the effects of these techniques on onset time of desaturation (SpO 2 Methods Sixty-nine patients with a body mass index  2 at the end of the first hour while breathing in air (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01323049 ). Results Baseline patient characteristics and intraoperative management data for the 68 patients included had no relevant clinical difference between groups. T92 (sec) after tracheal extubation was 214 (168) vs. 248 (148) in the PP and SUC groups, respectively ( P  = 0.44). In the PP and SUC groups, 50 and 43% reached a SpO 2 P  = 0.73). There were no statistically significant differences between groups for any secondary endpoints. Conclusions Positive pressure extubation as compared with suctioning extubation did not seem to delay onset time of desaturation after GA in standard weight adult patients.