Prolonged post-operative ventilation times drive costs higher and have an adverse effect on patient outcomes. But even with improvements in technology and care pathways, variation in vent times still plagues service line leaders.
Though numerous studies have demonstrated that early extubation within six to eight hours of cardiothoracic surgery can be a safe way of eliminating unnecessary costs and even improving quality, this opportunity is often missed, according to a report in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery (ATS).
...
read more