RESUMEN
The authors compare two methods for extubation in twenty-four patients submitted to cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and intravenous anesthesia. The patients were premedicated with diazepan and for induction and maintenance of anesthesia fentanil, diazepamm and pancuronium were used. During the postoperative period they were mantained under intermittent mandatory ventilation and randomly allocated in two groups. In group I muscle relaxants and opiates were antagonized (neostigmine and naloxone respectively) as required. In group II no antagonist was used. The extubation were proceeded as usual for both groups. We observed that group I had a shorter weaning time (242,08 min) for extubation than group II (592,08 min). No differences were observed regarding arterial blood gases and chest radiographies between the groups and no patient required reintubation. We conclued that for patients criteriously selected, early weaning and extubation in the post operative of cardiac surgery is possible