Prevention of Reintubation by Using Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation

Child extubation failure range from 4.1% to 19%. Studies in adults and children showed that extubation failure increases mortality mainly in those who need reintubation as this is a invasive procedure associated with many complications. Therefore, patients are reintubated when they worsen, which can contribute to organ dysfunction and increased mortality. Positive Pressure Noninvasive ventilation (PPNIV) has been proposed as a way to treat acute respiratory distress, avoiding complications of intubation and invasive ventilation. Most of the studies in adults are not conclusive on the benefits of PPNIV as a way to treat post-extubation acute respiratory distress. However, studies that evaluated the early use of PPNIV in post-extubation period as a way to prevent respiratory failure tend to show some advantages as decrease of reintubation, decrease number of respiratory distress, decrease of hospital infection frequency and lower mortality rate in the intensive care unit (ICU) for those who use PPNIV. In a prospective study on the use of PPNIV in 114 children, Essouri at al avoided invasive ventilation in 77%, being the group in patients with post-extubation respiratory distress. As far as the investigators know there is not any randomized, controlled study in children examining the PPNIV as a way to prevent post-extubation respiratory distress. The investigators' hypothesis is that PPNIV decreases the extubation failure rate and, as a consequence, the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and hospital length of stay, and mortality rate. The objective is to compare PPNIV and inhalatory O2 (catheter or facial mask) in children after extubation, evaluating the need of reintubation, hospital and PICU mortality rate and length of stay in PICU and hospital.