Timely and safe extubation in critically ill patients is vitally important as prolonged mechanical ventilation and failed attempts at extubation are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, costs, intensive care unit (ICU) stays, and a risk for aerosolization of COVID-19 to health care providers. A Spontaneous Breathing Trial (SBT) is the current standard of care to assess a patient's readiness for extubation. However, SBTs are performed in various ways and have poor ability to predict successful extubation on their own. There is an urgent need to improve and standardize extubation decision-making. In a prior multicenter study, the investigators showed that decreased respiratory rate variability during SBTs predicted extubation failure better than other predictive indices.

The Extubation Advisor (EA) tool combines clinician's assessments of extubation readiness with predictive analytics and risk mitigation strategies for individual patients. In a single centre observational study, the investigators demonstrated the ability to deliver EA reports to the bedside and acceptability of this decision-support tool to respiratory therapists (RTs) and physicians (MDs).

The investigators will conduct the Liberation from mechanical ventilation using EA Decision Support (LEADS) Pilot Trial to assess feasibility outcomes. They will include critically ill adults who are invasively ventilated for >48 hours and are ready to undergo an SBT.

Patients in the intervention arm undergo an EA assessment and treating clinicians (RTs, MDs) will receive an EA report for each SBT conducted. The EA report will help to guide extubation decision-making. Patients in the control arm receive standard care. SBTs will be directed by clinicians.

The primary feasibility outcome will reflect the ability to recruit the desired population. The investigators will also assess the usefulness of the tool to MDs and complete an analysis of resource utilization to inform future economic analyses of cost-effectiveness. The investigators aim to recruit 1 to 2 patients/month/center.

The LEADS trial is novel and low-risk. It is the first trial to evaluate use of a bedside decision support tool to assist ICU clinicians with extubation decision-making. The LEADS pilot trial will inform the design of a future, large-scale randomized controlled trial that is expected to enhance the care delivered to critically ill patients, improve extubation outcomes, and inform extubation practice in ICUs.

Background: Timely and safe extubation (i.e. endotracheal tube removal) in critically ill patients is vitally important as prolonged mechanical ventilation and failed attempts at extubation (i.e. re-intubation<48 hrs; 15% incidence) are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, costs, intensive care unit (ICU) stays, and a risk for aerosolization of COVID-19 to health care providers. A Spontaneous Breathing Trial (SBT) is the current standard of care to assess a patient's readiness for extubation. However, SBTs are performed in various ways and have poor ability to predict successful extubation on their own. There is an urgent need to improve and standardize extubation decision-making in the intensive care unit. In a prior multicenter study (n=721), the investigators showed that decreased respiratory rate variability during SBTs predicted extubation failure better than other predictive indices. The Extubation Advisor (EA) tool combines clinician's assessments of extubation readiness with predictive analytics and risk mitigation strategies for individual patients. In a single centre observational study (n=117; 2 ICUs), the investigators demonstrated the ability to deliver EA reports to the bedside and acceptability of this decision-support tool to respiratory therapists (RTs) and physicians (MDs).

Proposed Trial: The investigators will conduct the Liberation from mechanical ventilation using EA Decision Support (LEADS) Pilot Trial to assess feasibility outcomes including recruitment of critically ill patients with and without COVID-19 and protocol adherence.

Patients: The investigators will include critically ill adults who are invasively ventilated for >48 hours and who are ready to undergo an SBT with a view to extubation.

Intervention: Patients in the intervention arm will undergo an EA assessment and treating clinicians (RTs, MDs) will receive an EA report for each SBT conducted. The EA report will help to guide, rather than direct extubation decision-making by MDs.

Control: Patients in the control arm will receive standard care. SBTs will be directed by clinicians, using current best evidence. No EA assessments will be made, and no EA reports will be generated.

Outcomes: The primary feasibility outcome will reflect the ability to recruit the desired population. Secondary feasibility outcomes will assess rates of (i) consent (for eligible patients approached), (ii) randomization, (iii) intervention adherence, (iv) crossovers (EA to standard care and standard care to EA), and (v) completeness of clinical outcomes collected. The investigators will also assess the usefulness of the tool to MDs and complete an analysis of resource utilization to inform future economic analyses of cost-effectiveness. The investigators aim to recruit 1 to 2 patients/month/center on average. The investigators aim to achieve >75% consent rate, >95% randomization rate in consented patients, >80% of EA reports generated and delivered (intervention arm), <10% crossovers (both arms), and >90% of patients with complete clinical outcomes. The investigators will report feasibility outcomes overall and by site.

Impact: The LEADS trial was informed by extensive preparatory work conducted within two parallel programs of research on weaning and extubation. The LEADS trial is novel and low-risk. It is the first trial to evaluate use of a bedside decision support tool to assist ICU clinicians with extubation decision-making. The LEADS pilot trial will inform the design of a future, large-scale randomized controlled trial that is expected to enhance the care delivered to critically ill patients, improve extubation outcomes, and inform extubation practice in ICUs.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Critically ill adults (age≥18)
• Invasive ventilation for >48 hours
• Who are expected to undergo an initial SBT within the next 48 hours with a view to extubation as per treating MDs. As per the FAST trial, an SBT will be defined as a focused assessment on low ventilator settings [T-piece, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), or PS < 8 cm H2O regardless of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Suffer from known or suspected peripheral severe myopathy or neuropathy, or limb weakness or paralysis or central (e.g., post arrest, large intracranial stroke or bleed) injury or Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) < 6
• Do not wish to be re-intubated as part of their treatment goals
• Were previously extubated during the same ICU admission
• Have undergone 1 or more SBTs where the SBT was clearly documented in the chart and/or the PS was reduced to the SBT level of 8 or less during the 24 hour period prior to randomization
• Already have a tracheostomy
• Are moribund or expected to die.](streamdown:incomplete-link)

The authors will make the trial data available in a de-identified format upon submission, review and approval of a written request and study outline. This may include all IPD that underlie results in a publication.

This information will be available 4 months after pilot trial completion (estimated Sep 2026) and for 5 years thereafter.

Data will be provided for secondary analyses or data syntheses ( e.g., meta-analyses) accompanied by a study protocol and ethics approval. The authors reserve the write to withhold data related to treatment allocation should the patients in the pilot trial be rolled forward into a larger trial. Drs. Burns and Seeky will review requests for access to deidentified data.

Statisticians will be blinded to treatment assignment.