Nursing care for adult patients with chest drainage: a scoping review*

Abstract

Objective: To map the nursing care recommended for adult patients undergoing chest drainage. Method: Scoping review. Included studies in Portuguese, English and Spanish, with no time frame, which answered the research question: what nursing care is indicated for adult patients with chest drainage admitted to intensive care? Selection in the MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase/Elsevier, Web of Science/Clarivate, Scopus/Elsevier, CINAHL/Ebsco and LILACS/BVS databases. No data from gray literature was included. Results: Of the 973 articles identified, 21 were selected. The most frequently cited precautions included: filling the collection bottle with distilled water or saline solution, leaving the distal end of the stem submerged 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters; monitoring vital signs; pain management; and proper positioning of the system. There were differences in the indication for clamping the system and milking the drain/drainage system. Conclusion: 60 nursing tasks were mapped, 13 of which were carried out prior to inserting the drain, nine during insertion and 38 after insertion of the chest drain.