Unplanned Extubations

Some patients need a special tube to help them breathe. This is called an endotracheal (ET) tube (or a "breathing tube"). An unplanned extubation is the removal of an ET tube from the trachea that is not planned. We track any unplanned extubations that happen in our intensive care units.

How Do We Prevent Unplanned Extubations?

Our team is dedicated to making sure ET tubes are secured against unintentional removal. They are removed as soon as it is safe, to reduce the chance of accidental removal. To carry out these goals, our team is working to follow an “unplanned extubation bundle.” This is a group of ways to help reduce unplanned extubations. For example, we try to make sure that two clinicians are always there for any procedures that may increase the risk of an unplanned extubations, such as switching beds or bedside procedures.

How Are We Doing?

Our team is dedicated to making sure that patients don’t experience unplanned extubations of their ET tubes. We keep track of how we are doing with the number of unplanned extubations we have throughout the year. The graph below shows our unplanned extubation rate, which means the number of unplanned extubations for every 100 days a patient is on a ventilator.


A line graph detailing biannual unplanned extubation rates at CHLA. For every 100 days patients were on ventilators, unplanned extubations happened 0.17 times in Q1-Q2 of 2022; 0.16 times in Q3-Q4 of 2022; and 0.15 times in Q1-Q2 of 2023.

What You Can Do to Help

Patients and families are an important part of the care team. They play a role in lowering the risk of an unplanned extubations. The entire care team helps make sure the ET tube is secure and removed as soon as it is safe to do so. One of the best ways you can help is to talk with your child’s medical team about how and when to remove the breathing tube.