Of 95 subjects receiving mechanical ventilation (MV) for ≥ 72 hours and who were not brain dead, 74 were not immediately extubated once readiness-to-wean criteria were met (defined in Patients and methods)

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Tracheostomy timing and the duration of weaning in patients with acute respiratory failure"</p><p>Critical Care 2004;8(4):R261-R267.</p><p>Published online 24 Jun 2004</p><p>PMCID:PMC522847.</p><p>Copyright © 2004 Boynton et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL.</p> The early tracheostomy (ET) group consists of 21 patients who underwent tracheostomy prior to any active weaning attempts, and the selective tracheostomy (ST) group consists of all patients (= 53) who were initially weaned with an endotracheal tube in place. Ultimately, of the ST group, 25 patients underwent tracheostomy and 28 patients were successfully liberated and extubated