The effect of dexamethasone on the reduction of airway edema and the success of extubation in patients with head and neck surgery admitted to the intensive care unit

The decision to extubate the patient is crucial and challenging. The use of corticosteroids to reduce airway edema and extubation failure in intensive care patients is debatable.

In an observational prospective cohort study from April 2021 to July 2021, 110 patients undergoing head and neck surgery at Imam Khomeini Hospital's special wards were enrolled. Inclusion criteria: Patients undergoing head and neck surgery. Exclusion criteria: previous corticosteroid use, presence of tracheostomy tube, history of head and neck surgery. The intervention group (n=55) received intravenous dexamethasone 8 mg three times a day for the first 24 hours and 4 mg twice a day for the next 24 hours. The control group did not receive any corticosteroids (n=55). All the patients were weaned with the same protocol, including pressure support ventilation with pressure support 6-8 cm H20 and PEEP <5 cm H2o and FIO2 ≤0.4 for 1-2 hours without respiratory distress, hypoxia, tachycardia, and diaphoresis. Before extubation, the cuff leak test was done for all the patients with the cut-off point of 110 ml. The Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was performed for categorical variables, and a t-test was used to describe the quantitative variables. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

The mean age was 52.1±14.1, and there was no difference between the two groups. Demographic characteristics, including sex, body mass index, duration of surgery, kind of intubation, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score, were not significantly different. The length of stay in the intensive care unit in the dexamethasone group was significantly longer than the control group (104 vs. 79-hour, P=0.001, CI 95%: 10.995-40.878). The rate of failure in extubation and postoperative stridor was not significantly different between the two groups (P=0.237).

Dexamethasone usage seems not to be effective in reducing airway edema, and its routine use is not recommended in reducing stridor after endotracheal tube removal.