Do any preoperative variables affect extubation time after coronary artery bypass graft surgery?

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine whether any preoperative variable had a significant effect on extubation time after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.Design The study design was retrospective.Setting The study was conducted in a cardiac center in the United Kingdom where 1700 cardiac surgical operations are performed per year.Subjects The study sample was composed of 89 patients who had coronary artery bypass graft surgery performed by the designated consultant cardiac surgeon in the first 6 months of 1998.Outcome measures The measures included preoperative variables (age, gender, body mass index, cardiac status, pulmonary status) and extubation time.Results Mean extubation time was found to be 4.97 hours. Left ventricular function was found to be statistically significant (P =.05) to extubation time.Conclusions We found that cardiac status had an effect on extubation time and that this warranted further investigation. No other preoperative variable had a significant effect on extubation time, raising questions concerning the need for strict preoperative exclusion criteria.