- Poster presentation
- Open Access
Hand-grip test is a good predictor of extubation success in adult ICU patients
- Published: 1 March 2011
Keywords
- Hand Grip Strength
- Extubation Failure
- Peripheral Muscle
- Respiratory Muscle Weakness
- Extubation Success
Introduction
Ventilator weaning protocols have been published during the past 20 years. Although patients fulfill weaning criteria, they may still experience extubation failure. Risk factors include respiratory muscle weakness. This is accompanied by peripheral muscle weakness. The aim of the study is to evaluate the possible relation between peripheral (hand) muscle strength and extubation success in ICU patients.
Methods
Fifty-four consecutive patients (62 ± 14 years) extubated in the ICUs of the Brugmann University Hospital and the Etterbeek-Ixelles General Hospital were included in the study. Extubation failure was defined as reintubation within 48 hours after extubation. Hand muscle strength is measured by a grip test method.
Results
Difference between maximal grip forces.
Conclusions
Hand grip strength testing is a good predictor of successful extubation in ICU patients. The positive predictive value of 100% is obtained if maximal strength is >13 kg. Further studies are needed before grip testing could be routinely used as a decision-making test for extubation in ICU patients.
Authors’ Affiliations
Copyright
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
