Prevention of Post-Extubation Laryngeal Edema With Intravenous Corticosteroids
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2002-01-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Tracheal intubation is a frequent procedure in intensive care units (ICU). Post-extubation
laryngeal edema is a frequent complication with potential morbidity and mortality, and may
lead to urgent tracheal re-intubation. Corticosteroids have been proposed to reduce the
incidence of post-extubation laryngeal edema. A few clinical studies have been conducted in
adult ICU patients and have led to discrepant results. These discrepancies may be related to
the time lag separating the administration of the corticosteroids and the planned extubation.
Accordingly, we tested the hypothesis that pretreatment with corticosteroids initiated 12
hours before a planned extubation may efficiently prevent the occurrence of postextubation
laryngeal edema in critically-ill adults who have been mechanically ventilated for more than
36 hours in the ICU.