Chest Tube

Abstract

Chest drainage is commonly used in pleural settings, and its overall associated complication rate has been reported to be low. Small-bore chest tubes are generally used to treat primitive pneumothorax and malignant pleural effusions. Conversely, large-bore chest tubes are preferred for hemotorax, pneumothoraxes in intubated patients, and for patients with empyema. The most common complication in chest drainage is mal-positioning of the tube, which can compromise its intended function. Dislodgement and obstruction are more frequent with small-bore chest tubes, while re-expansion pulmonary edema is commonly associated with a too rapid lung re-expansion and this is more frequent when placing large-bore chest tubes.