Outpatient chest tube management

Cecilia Menna, Mohsen Ibrahim, Camilla Poggi, Camilla Vanni, Giulio Maurizi, Antonio D’andrilli, Anna Maria Ciccone, Federico Venuta, Erino Angelo Rendina, Claudio Andreetti

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

The pleural space is an air-tight closed space with a sub-atmospheric inside pressure variable during the breathing cycle. Also, the pleural cavity contains a small amount of pleural fluid that as a lubricant ensures lung coupling to the chest wall. This system is under a constant dynamic equilibrium not simple to control after a lung major resection: a chest drainage system has to guarantee an adequate drains of fluid and air allowing a complete lung expansion. Excessive fluid drainage or air leak will prevent timely hospital discharge after thoracic surgery, increasing length of stay (LOS) and the healthcare costs. In the era of “fast track surgery” to standardize an outpatient chest tube management is necessary. This review tries to reach a conclusion by comparing all recent studies reporting a management of chest drains following thoracic surgery. We will explore through this article the tips and tricks to register the best outcomes dealing with an outpatient pleural drainage.

Original languageEnglish
Article number12
JournalJournal of Xiangya Medicine
Volume3
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2018

Keywords

  • Chest tube
  • air leak
  • pleural cavity
  • technologies
  • water seal

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