Chest Tube Removal Time in Trauma Patients on Positive Ventilation Pressure: A Randomized Clinical Trial

To determine the removal time of the chest tube in ICU trauma patients under positive ventilation pressure (PVP).

This was randomized clinical trial being performed in ICU department of Rajaei trauma hospital from March to December 2011. A total number of 92 trauma patients who were admitted in ICU and were under ventilation and had chest tube were randomly assigned into two groups. In case group, chest tube was clamped after 5-7 days. In the control group, chest tube was retained until the patients were under PVP. The chest tube was removed if there was no air leak or the drainage was less than 300 mL.

Complications observed in the case and control groups were 4.4% of 4.3% respectively (p=0.862). Among case group with hemothorax, 6.7% developed complication while this ratio for pneumothorax was 7.1% and zero in those with hemopneumothorax (p=0.561), whereas respective values for the control group were 11.1%, 8.3% and zero (p=0.262). Complications were noticed in 10.5% of those with more than 300 ml of pulmonary drainage. There were no complications in patients without air leak. In mild leak, 4.8% of subjects experienced complication, in moderate leak, no complication occurred and in severe ones, complication was visible in 7.7% of patients (p=0.842).

The present study showed that the removal of chest tube in patients under ventilation within 5-7 days after its insertion is safe without any complications.