Timing of Intubation with Outcome in Critically Ill Patients Admitted in Medicine Intensive Care Unit in Central India

Background: The timing of intubation is still a topic of debate. Some of the studies show a preference for early intubation over late intubation, but still, data are lacking to prove the superiority of early over late intubation. Methods: It was a prospective, observational study conducted at the NKP Salve Hospital Nagpur. A total of 107 patients of either gender were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into two groups: early intubation (patients intubated within 2 days of intensive care unit (ICU) admission) versus delayed intubation group (patients intubated after 2 days of ICU admission). Results: The mean age of the patients in the early and late intubation group was 46.76% and 48.85%, respectively. In early intubation, the mean ± standard deviation (SD) of the APACHE II score was 3.17 ± 0.8 and in the late intubation group, the mean ± SD of the APACHE II score was 5.87 ± 1.2 ( P < 0.05). In early intubation, the Mean ± SD of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score was 5.6 ± 1.12 and in the late intubation group, the mean ± SD of the SOFA score was 8.77 ± 3.2 ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: Early intubation has a superior result compared to late intubation.