Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Mechanical changes are the ventilatory support used to maintain lung function while the cause of intubation is reversed, and it has greatly contributed to increased survival in intensive care units, however, the need for orotracheal intubation, especially for prolonged periods, brought concerns about the failure to withdraw this support. Extubation failure is a worldwide problem, and a search for predictors, risk factors and therapies capable of preventing it has mobilized research groups. Objectives: We present the results of an observational study carried out in a pediatric intensive care unit for one year, which aimed to identify risk factors related to extubation failure in children and adolescents mechanically ventilated for at least 48 hours. METHODS: Eighty-five children aged between 29 days and 15 years of age were included, of which 11 (12.9%) required reintubation. RESULTS: In our sample, the risk factors found were age less than 3 months [OR: 2.71], mechanics for more than 15 days [OR: 7.30], fatal from shock [OR: 2.45], fatal of cardiorespiratory arrest [OR: 8.0] and those who were drilled to intubation cannula changes [1.97]. CONCLUSION: These conditions increased the risk of extubation failure in our sample.