Prediction of Extubation Readiness Using Transthoracic Ultrasound in
Preterm Infants
Abstract
We aimed to test the hypothesis that a lung ultrasound severity score
(LUS) and assessment of left ventricular eccentricity index of the
interventricular septum (LVEI) by focused heart ultrasound can predict
extubation success in mechanically ventilated infants. We conducted a
prospective study on premature infants <34 weeks’ of
gestation. LUS was performed on postnatal days 3 and 7 by an
investigator who was masked to infants’ ventilator parameters. LVEI and
pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) were measured at postnatal day 3. A
receiver operator curve was constructed to assess the ability to predict
extubation success. Spearman correlation was performed between LVEI and
PAP. A total of 104 studies were performed to 66 infants; of them 39 had
mild and 65 had moderate-severe lung disease. LUS predicted extubation
success with a sensitivity and a specificity of 91% and 69%,
respectively. Area under the curve was 0.83 (CI: 0.75-0.91). LVEI did
not differ between infants that succeeded and failed extubation. It
correlated with PAP during systole (r=0.66). We conclude that LUS
predicts extubation success in mechanically ventilated preterm infants
whereas LVEI correlates with high PAP.