Introduction:

There is controversy about the use of early extubation in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement due to stenosis, given their tendency to develop postoperative hypertension, which could defeat the whole purpose of the surgical intervention.

Objective:

To compare the incidence of postoperative reintubation for hypertension in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement using the standard extubation technique and the ultra fast-track.

Material and methods:

A retrospective cohort study that included 73 cases of patients undergoing aortic valve replacement. The patients were divided into two according to the extubation technique used: standard (group I) and ultra fast-track (group II). The presence of hypertension and postoperative reintubation was evaluated. The analysis of variables was performed using the χ2 test. A p < 0.05 was considered significant. The data were processed using SPSS v. 24.0.

Results:

45 patients were in group I and 28 in group II. The incidence of hypertension and reintubation was higher in group II (p = 0.027). There were no differences in morbidity (p = 0.348), mortality (p = 0.202) and length of postoperative stay (p = 0.182).

Conclusion:

In our hospital unit, the incidence of postoperative reintubation for hypertension in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement with the ultra fast-track technique is higher than with standard extubation.