Can lung ultrasound in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery predict extubation failure?

<bold>Can lung ultrasound in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery predict extubation failure?</bold> <bold>Introduction:</bold> Little is known about the accuracy of ultrasound in detecting pulmonary complications that may predict extubation failure after cardiac surgery. <bold>Objective:</bold> To evaluate the efficiency of lung ultrasound in predicting extubation failure after cardiac surgery based on the presence and degree of loss of lung aeration (LUS score). <bold>Methods:</bold> This is a pilot sample of a prospective, observational and descriptive clinical study. The study involved 12 patients in the immediate postoperative period of cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), sedation and mechanical ventilation. Eight areas of the lung were assessed: anterosuperior, basal-anterior, superolateral, latero-basal, bilaterally. To quantify the condition of aeration, each quadrant was given a score from zero to three points, the sum of which resulted in the overall score of the lung, with a progressive increase according to the worsening of aeration. Patients were followed up for 48 hours to identify extubation failure or success. <bold>Results:</bold> Extubation was successful in 9 patients (75%) and failed in 3 patients (25%). Patients who extubated successfully had the lowest USL score (16.0±4.031) indicating good lung aeration, those who failed extubation had the highest score (22.7±0.577), indicating a significant worsening of lung aeration. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> This pilot study suggests that lung ultrasound in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery is potentially effective in predicting extubation failure. It is therefore important to expand the sample size and continue this research.