Early removal of the chest tube after complete video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomies.
Eur J Cardiothorac Surg
; 39(4): 575-8, 2011 Apr.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20833554
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Chest tubes induce morbidity such as pain, decrease mobility, increase the risk of infection, and prolong the length of hospital stays. This study evaluates a chest-tube protocol containing a high-drainage threshold and a short time period of drainage.METHODS:
A retrospective study was performed with data collected from all elective complete video-assisted thoracoscopic (c-VATS) (bi-)lobectomies between March 2006 and December 2009. All patients had one chest-tube, postoperatively. The chest tube was removed if there was no air leakage and there was a drainage volume of 400 ml (24 h)(-1) or less. We aimed to remove the chest tube on postoperative day 1.RESULTS:
This series consists of 110 lobectomies and six bilobectomies. The median duration of chest-tube placement was 1.0 day. In 58.8% of patients (confidence interval (CI) 95% 49.5-68.0), the drain was removed within 24 h of operation and in 82.5% (CI 95% 74.2-88.7) within 48 h. In six (6.2%) patients, subcutaneous emphysema developed while the drain was still in place, and was treated with removal of the drain. Persistent air leakage was seen in four (3.4%) patients. One (0.9%) persisting pneumothorax was diagnosed. A pneumothorax after removal of the drain was not diagnosed. No major complications developed in 98 patients (84.5%). The median day of discharge was postoperative day 4.CONCLUSIONS:
This study shows it is safe, after c-VATS (bi-)lobectomy, to remove the chest tube within 24 h in 58.8%, and within 48 h in 82.5% of patients. As was also shown in other studies, this leads to shorter length of hospital stays, lower costs, and most importantly, reduces patient morbidity without the added risk of complications.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Complicações Pós-Operatórias
/
Tubos Torácicos
/
Cirurgia Torácica Vídeoassistida
/
Remoção de Dispositivo
/
Neoplasias Pulmonares
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
/
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2011
Tipo de documento:
Article