Reducing morbidity from chest drains

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The insertion of an intercostal chest drain to relieve the pleural cavity of unwanted air or liquid is a common procedure. It is simple to perform and should be associated with a low mortality and morbidity. However, unnecessary problems are often encountered, both during and after the procedure. Most hospital doctors will, at some stage, insert a chest drain, either urgently in cases of trauma or electively for a pneumothorax or pleural effusion. An adequate understanding of the anatomy and pathophysiology of the pleural space is vital, as is proper teaching of the technique of insertion and subsequent management of chest drains.1 2 3 The aim of drain insertion is to restore and maintain the negative intrathoracic pressure necessary for lung expansion and drainage of the pleural cavity.4 The physiological mechanisms maintaining full expansion depend on removal of excess liquid and gas from this space. The basic principle of chest drainage is to ensure this by re-establishing the negative intrapleural pressure. When at rest (that is, at functional residual capacity), the elastic forces of the chest wall and lung try to separate the visceral and parietal pleural layers, and create a …

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: