Use of Provider Debriefing to Improve Fast-Track Extubation Rates Following Cardiac Surgery at an Academic Medical Center

When used in appropriate patient populations, fast-track extubation (FTE) anesthetic techniques and intensive care unit (ICU) protocols safely reduce intubation times, ICU length of stay, and resource utilization. The authors hypothesized that perioperative provider debriefing on success or failure of FTE would improve FTE success. This retrospective observational study included consecutive patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), valve, or combined CABG/valve surgery between February 2015 and May 2016 (N = 313). Throughout the intervention period, a briefing was distributed on postoperative day 1 to the anesthesiology providers responsible for operative care of the patient detailing success or failure of FTE and perioperative characteristics. The preintervention FTE success rate of 55.6% significantly improved to 72.8% in the intervention group (P = .022). When combined with a continuous interdepartmental review process, provider debriefing improved FTE success. Perioperative provider debriefing requires minimal resources for implementation and can easily be replicated in other cardiac surgery centers.