Background The determination of extubation (early or delayed) after pediatric craniotomy for intracranial tumor should be carefully considered because each has its pros and cons. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of the delayed extubation in these patients. The secondary goal was to identify the perioperative factors influencing the determination of delayed extubation.

Methods This retrospective study was performed in pediatric patients with intracranial tumor who underwent craniotomy at a university hospital between April 2010 and March 2020. Preoperative and intraoperative variables were examined. The variables were compared between the delayed extubation and early extubation group.

Results Forty-two of 286 pediatric patients were in the delayed extubation group with an incidence of 14.69%. According to multivariate analyses, the risk factors that prompted delayed extubation were the intracranial tumor size ≥ 55 mm (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 2.338; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.032–5.295; p = 0.042), estimated blood loss (EBL) ≥ 40% of calculated blood volume (AOR, 11.959; 95% CI, 3.457–41.377; p < 0.001), blood transfusion (AOR, 3.093; 95% CI, 1.069–8.951; p = 0.037), duration of surgery ≥ 300 minutes (AOR, 2.593; 95% CI, 1.099–6.120; p = 0.030), and completion of the operation after working hours (AOR, 13.832; 95% CI, 2.997–63.835; p = 0.001).

Conclusions The incidence of delayed extubation after pediatric craniotomy was 14.69%. The predictive factors were the size of tumor ≥ 55 mm, EBL ≥ 40% of calculated blood volume, blood transfusion, duration of surgery ≥ 300 minutes, and completion of surgery after routine working hours.

Article published online:
20 July 2022

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