Men Have Higher Risk of Extubation Failure compared to females in ICU Setting

In a recent study published in the Annals of Intensive Care uncovered a significant difference in the risk of extubation failure between male and female patients in intensive care setting.

This post hoc analysis of a large-scale clinical trial focused on patients at high risk of extubation failure in intensive care units (ICUs) and explored potential gender-related variations in prognosis. After examining data from 641 patients, this study found that 66% were males and 34% females. Also, males were more likely to be admitted for cardiac arrest and to have underlying ischemic heart disease, while females were more commonly admitted for coma and exhibited a higher risk of obesity.

The results indicated a significant disparity in the rate of reintubation at 48 hours post-extubation, with males experiencing a higher rate compared to females (11.0% vs. 6.0%). But, by day 7, while the difference persisted, it did not reach statistical significance (16.7% vs. 11.1%). Further analysis revealed that male sex was independently associated with a higher risk of reintubation within the crucial 7 days following extubation (adjusted odds ratio 1.70).

This analysis focused on a specific subset of patients at high risk of extubation failure and brought attention to the nuanced relationship between gender and critical care outcomes. When considered independently, the findings play a significant role in predicting the likelihood of reintubation, even after adjusting for various factors such as reason for admission, body-mass index, severity score, respiratory rate before extubation, and noninvasive ventilation after extubation.

Source:

Thille, A. W., Boissier, F., Coudroy, R., Le Pape, S., Arrivé, F., Marchasson, L., Frat, J.-P., Ragot, S., Muller, G., Gacouin, A., Decavèle, M., Sonneville, R., Beloncle, F., Girault, C., Dangers, L., Lautrette, A., Cabasson, S., Rouzé, A., … Vivier, E. (2023). Sex difference in the risk of extubation failure in ICUs. In Annals of Intensive Care (Vol. 13, Issue 1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13613-023-01225-7