{"id":4333,"date":"2024-04-28T16:48:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-28T16:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/?page_id=4333"},"modified":"2024-04-28T21:19:08","modified_gmt":"2024-04-28T21:19:08","slug":"ventilator-tube-removal-operating-room","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.heart-valve-surgery.com\/learning\/ventilator-tube-removal-operating-room\/","title":{"rendered":"Surgeon Q&A: “Can The Ventilator Tube Be Removed Before I Wake Up in the Intensive Care Unit?” asks Joe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Preparation for heart valve surgery is often extensive. Pre-surgery testing with blood work, chest x-rays, ultrasounds, and EKGs are just the beginning. You\u2019ll likely meet with the surgeon and surgical team members so they can explain the entire process, from the day of surgery to what to expect once you arrive home.<\/p>\n

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\"Ventilator<\/p>\n

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Even with the best of information, one aspect of valve surgery many patients struggle with is waking up in the intensive care unit (ICU) with the breathing tube still in their throat. The first inclination is to reach for the tube to pull it out, sometimes in a panic, only to find their hands are tied down to prevent them from doing so. They are in unfamiliar surroundings with machines beeping and people they don\u2019t know. Most patients, if given the choice, would prefer to have the breathing tube taken out in the operating room while they\u2019re still asleep before being transferred to the intensive care unit for continuing care.<\/p>\n

Although 24-hour ventilator times remain the quality metric for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons star-rating, surgeons are working hard to reduce ventilator times even more. Many leading cardiac centers specializing in heart valve procedures and replacements are adopting the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS)<\/a> approach. The idea is to use evidence-based practices to improve surgical care and recovery for better patient outcomes, and early extubation in the operating room is one of those approaches. Although ERAS has been applied to other types of surgeries for many years, its application to cardiac surgery is relatively new.<\/p>\n

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Advances for In-Operating Room Ventilator Tube Removal<\/h2>\n

We recently received a patient question from Joe on this topic. He asked, \u201cI have been diagnosed with bicuspid aortic stenosis and will be undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement. Is it possible to have the ventilator tube removed before waking up in the ICU as I would like to avoid this process if possible?\u201d<\/p>\n

I met with Dr. Marc Gerdisch<\/a>, the Chief of Cardiac Surgery at Franciscan Health in Indianapolis, Indiana, to answer Joe’s question. Dr. Gerdisch has performed thousands of cardiac surgeries and serves on the ERAS Advisory Board, making him the perfect match for Joe\u2019s question.<\/p>\n

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