Use of cough peak flow measured by a ventilator to predict re-intubation when a spirometer is unavailable

Abstract

BACKGROUND: A ventilator includes the function to measure flow velocity. We aimed to compare the predictive accuracy for re-intubation diagnosed by cough peak flow (CPF) measured by a spirometer and a ventilator. METHODS: Endotracheally intubated subjects who passed a spontaneous breathing trial were enrolled. Before extubation, CPF was measured by a spirometer and a ventilator, respectively. Re-intubation was recorded at 72 h after extubation. RESULTS: A total of 126 subjects were enrolled. Among them, 15 subjects (12%) experienced re-intubation. CPF was lower in re-intubated subjects than those without re-intubation (measured by a spirometer: 54 ± 30 L/min vs 86 ± 37 L/min, P