Attempts to wean intubated, critically ill patients off mechanical ventilators were less successful when the patients exhibited atypical sleep or pathological wakefulness, researchers reported. The findings suggest that sleep deprivation may be a risk factor for weaning-failure, and that monitoring sleep patterns prior to weaning attempts could be a successful strategy for identifying mechanically ventilated patients who are not ready to breathe on their own, reported Laurent Brochard, MD, PhD, of the University of Toronto and St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and colleagues, in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. They analyzed data from 37 mechanically ventilated patients treated at three Toronto-area hospitals, scheduled for a SBT, to assess their readiness for breathing on their own.

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