Lukannek C, et al. - Given the recommendation of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for risk assessment for postoperative respiratory complications in patients undergoing surgery, researchers developed a prediction instrument for early postoperative tracheal re-intubation by conducting a hospital registry study of adult patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery between 2005 and 2017 at two independent healthcare networks. In addition, they externally validated the instrument. This instrument was developed on the basis of the development of the Score for Prediction Of Postoperative Respiratory Complications. The final model comprised five pre-operative predictors, identified in the Score for Prediction Of Postoperative Respiratory Complications, as well as seven additional intra-operative predictors: early post-tracheal intubation desaturation; prolonged duration of surgery; high fraction of inspired oxygen; high vasopressor dose; blood transfusion; the absence of volatile anaesthetic use; and the absence of lung-protective ventilation. The new score had a significantly greater area under the receiver operating characteristic curve than that of the original Score for Prediction Of Postoperative Respiratory Complications indicating its utility in developing and implementing strategies to reduce the risk of early postoperative tracheal re-intubation.