Development and Validation of a Score to Identify Cardiac Surgery Patients at High Risk of Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation

Abstract

Objective: To develop and validate a score for the early identification of cardiac surgery patients at high risk of prolonged mechanical ventilation (MV) who may be suitable targets for interventional trials. Design: Retrospective analysis. Setting: Tertiary intensive care unit. Participants: Cardiac surgery patients. Interventions: Observational study. Measurements and Main Results: The study comprised 1,994 patients. Median age was 67 years, and 1,457 patients (74%) were male. Median duration of MV was 9.4 hours. A total of 229 (11%), 182 (9%), and 127 (6%) patients received MV for ≥24, ≥36, and ≥48 hours, respectively. In-hospital mortality was 13%, 15%, and 17%, respectively. For the stu..