Endotracheal extubation should be performed without causing trauma, while maintaining adequate oxygenation and ventilation. The equipment needed to provide suction, ventilation, and reintubation should be readily available. If extubation is judged to be unsafe, the procedure should be postponed and the patient reevaluated. Most complications related to extubation are preventable. Before performing extubation, the clinician must carefully prepare the medical resources needed to address reasonably foreseeable complications. A failed extubation can lead to a precipitous deterioration in the patient's condition, and attempts to improvise solutions under these challenging circumstances are rarely satisfactory.