RESULTS
During the study period, a total of 702 infants with birth weight < 1,250 grams and gestational age ≥22 weeks were admitted to the NICU. Infants who died prior to an extubation attempt or had an unplanned extubation prior to their first elective extubation attempt were excluded from the analysis. One infant with missing outcome of successful extubation was excluded and twelve patients were excluded from the analysis as they were part of another study on extubation readiness—Automated Prediction of Extubation Readiness (clinicaltrials.gov NCT01909947). After excluding the infants as listed above, a total of 360 infants were included in the study who received MV via an endotracheal tube and had an elective extubation attempt within the first 60 days of age. Among them, 268 (74%) were successful and 92 (26%) failed extubation.