Prevention strategies for unplanned extubation in NICU – A literature review

Unplanned extubation in neonatal intensive care units is one of the common adverse events for the mechanically ventilated infants. This is a significant patient safety issue and the prevention is very important for both infants and organisations. The purpose of this review is to explore and identify the prevention strategies for unplanned extubation in literature. This literature review discussed prevention strategies in terms of endotracheal tube fixation, use of sedation, use of physical restraints, nursing workload, and quality improvement programme/project. There was limited research in neonatal populations. However, future research and some prevention practices would be beneficial for further reduction of the unplanned extubations.