Proper management of chest drainage after pulmonary lobectomy is a topic that every thoracic surgeon must face up to. Reasonable chest drainage plays a critical role in postoperative normal physiological recovery. However， there are still controversies and discrepancies in many aspects of chest drainage management after pulmonary lobectomy. In this review，we focus on five aspects of chest drainage management after pulmonary lobectomy，including the choice of chest drainage system，single or double chest tubes，suction or not，treatment of persistent air leak，and removal of chest tube.
ObjectiveTo compare clinical results between single and double chest tube applications after lung cancer resection, and explore the role of single chest tube in postoperative fast track recovery. MethodNinety-three patients with lung cancer who underwent lobectomy between March and December of 2009 in West China Hospital of Sichuan University were included in this study. All the patients were divided into a single-tube group including 46 patients (39 males and 7 females) with their age of 58.4±9.5 years, and a double-tube group including 47 patients (32 males and 15 females) with their age of 58.2±9.0 years. Drainage amount, duration, postoperative hospital stay, and incidences of pneumothorax and pleural effusion after removal of chest tubes were compared between the 2 groups. ResultsThe percentage of patients undergoing complete video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) of the double-tube group was significantly higher than that of the single-tube group, and the percentage of patients undergoing thoracotomy of the double-tube group was significantly lower than that of the single-tube group (P < 0.05). Drainage amount of the double-tube group was significantly larger than that of the single-tube group (824.4±612.5 ml vs. 510.7±406.7 ml, P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in drainage duration, postoperative hospital stay, the incidences of subcutaneous emphysema, pneumothorax, pleural effusion or re-insertion of chest drain between the 2 groups (P > 0.05). ConclusionClinical results of single chest tube is better than or equivalent to those of double chest tubes after lung cancer resection, and drainage duration of single chest tube application might be shorter.
ObjectiveWe aimed to further investigate the feasibility of using small bore chest tubes or even without chest tube insertion after da Vinci robot-assisted thoracic surgery. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed initial 70 patients between September 12, 2014 and March 30, 2015 as a control group at the department of thoracic surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, and proposed four schemes. There are 31 males and 39 females with mean age of 57.1±9.8 (ranged from 30-80 years). We applied those four schemes for the last 30 patients as an experimental group. There are 12 males and 18 females with mean age of 58.8±8.1 (ranged 42-73 years). ResultsThe days in hospital after surgery ranged 2-25 days and there was no severe complication. After the surgery, the pain scores of the trial group are lower than that of the control group. And the schemes 1 and schemes 2 of trial group reduced significantly than the control group (P<0.05). There is no significant difference of the rate of the complication caused by poor drainage between the trial group and the control group (P>0.05). But the pain score after surgery is lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). ConclusionOptimizing thoracic drainage strategy after da Vinci robot-assisted thoracic surgery is safe, possible and helpful to relieve postoperative pain.
ObjectiveTo compare and evaluate the application of two types of chest drainage in patients who had undergone the lung lobe resection. MethodWe retrospective analyzed the clinical data of 240 patients who underwent left lobe resection. The patients were divided into a single conventional drainage group with single chest drainage tube (normal group) and a single conventional drainage tube combined with drainage of disposable surgical negative pressure drainage ball (NPBD) (combination group). There were 140 patients including 86 males and 54 females at mean age of 48.76± 4.92 years in the normal group. There were 100 patients including 58 males and 42 females at mean age of 48.37± 4.56 years in the combination group. We compared the outcomes between the two groups. ResultThe postoperative pathological results revealed there were 12 patients with tuberculosis (TB), 87 patients with squamous carcinoma, and 41 patients with adenocarcinoma in the normal group; 5 patients with TB, 66 patients with squamous carcinoma, and 29 patients with adenocarcinoma in the combination group. There were statistical differences in postoperative hospital stay (11.35± 2.78 d vs. 9.33± 2.46 d), chest drainage tube indwelling time (6.75± 2.10 d vs. 8.28± 2.10 d), total volume of chest drainage (1 176.07± 384.62 ml vs. 926.50± 22.35 ml) with P values less than 0.001 between the normal group and the combination group. No statistical difference was found between the two groups in complications (P>0.05). ConclusionSingle conventional drainage tube combined with drainage of disposable surgical negative pressure drainage ball (NPBD) has more advantages than single conventional chest drainage tube drainage, and is worth to be applied popularly in clinic.
ObjectiveTo observe the impacts of initial therapy on clinical outcome of patients with community-acquired thoracic infection by retrospective analysis. MethodsClinical data of acute community-acquired thoracic infection patients who met the British Thoracic Society diagnostic criteria were collected. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether adequate initial antibiotic therapy and pleural effusion drainage were performed, namely an adequate group (31 patients) and an inadequate group (17 patients). Clinical manifestations, inflammatory markers, hospital stay and hospital costs were analyzed between the two groups. ResultsFor age, gender, infection sites, and coincident diseases, there were no significant differences between the two groups. Compared with the inadequate group, temperature of the adequate group was significantly decreased, especially on hospital day 5, 6, 7[(37.4±0.1)℃ vs. (38.3±0.2)℃, P < 0.001; (37.4±0.1)℃ vs. (37.9±0.1)℃, P < 0.05; (37.4±0.1)℃ vs. (38.1±0.2)℃, P < 0.01]. The level of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in first week was also significantly reduced in the adequate group[(123.1±13.8) mg/L vs. (182.7±25.3) mg/L, P < 0.05]. However, there were no differences in white cell counts, percentage of neutrophils, or erythrocyte sedimentation rate between the two groups in six-week follow-up. The adequate group had shorter hospital stay[(25±4) days vs. (34±4) days, P < 0.05] and lower hospital costs[(28 367±3 328) yuan vs. (43 334±7 134) yuan, P < 0.05] compared with the inadequate group. ConclusionsThe initial therapy with appropriate antibiotics and effective thoracic drainage can significantly decrease the temperature and CRP of patients with thoracic infection, as well as the cost of hospitalization and the length of stay. Our study reveals that the temperature which is lower than 37.5℃ on the 5th day of therapy and the CRP in the first follow-up week are sensitive predictors of initial treatment effect, which may be helpful to guide the following therapeutic strategies.
ObjectiveThe pleural injury caused by harvesting internal mammary artery (LIMA) can significantly increase the possibility of early pleural effusion after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG). We compared the differences in pleural effusion, pain severity, and early lung function in different treatments to find the optimal strategy.MethodsA total of 300 patients receiving OPCABG using LIMA with left pleural lesion were selected (176 males and 124 females, mean age of 63.1±8.7 years). After bypass surgery, patients with pleural rupture were randomly divided into three groups: group A (n=100) received a pericardial drainage tube and a left chest tube inserted from the midline (subxyphoid); group B (n=100) had a pericardial drainage tube and a tube placed in the sixth intercostal space at the midaxillary line; group C (n=100) with the broken pleura sutured, had a pericardial drainage tube and a mediastinal drainage tube inserted. All patients underwent pulmonary function testing and arterial blood gas analysis on postoperative days (PODs) 5. The three methods were analyzed and evaluated.ResultsTotal drainage: group B (852±285 ml)>group C (811±272 ml)>group A (703±226 ml); there was no significant difference between the group B and group C, but they were statistically different from the group A (P<0 05="" patients="" with="" pleural="" effusion="" after="" removal="" of="" drainage="" tubes:="" group="" a="" 13="" patients="">group B (7 patients)>group C (3 patients), and there was significant difference among the three groups (P<0 05="" pain="" sensation="" the="" day="" after="" extubation:="" group="" b="" 2="" 4="" 0="" 8="" 3="" 8="" 0="" 9="">group A (1.9±0.7, 3.3±0.8)>group C (1.1±0.6, 2.5±0.8), there was significant difference among the three groups (P<0 05="" pain="" sensationon="" on="" postoperative="" days="" 5:="" group="" b="" 0="" 3="" 0="" 2="" 0="" 6="" 0="" 5="">group A (0.3±0.3, 0.5±0.4)>group C (0.2±0.2, 0.5±0.3), and there was no significant difference among the three groups. Vital capacity on postoperative days 5: there was no significant difference between the group B and group C, and both groups were greater than group A (P<0.05). There was no difference in FEV1 and PCO2 among the three groups. Group C was better than group A in PO2 on postoperative day 5 (P<0.05).ConclusionSuturing the broken pleura during the operation can not only reduce the degree of postoperative pain but also have less pleural effusion and better pulmonary function. It can be used as the preferred method.