Outpatient Treatment for Pneumothorax Using a Portable Small-Bore Chest Tube: A Clinical Report
Won Gi Woo1, Seok Joo1, Geun Dong Lee1
1Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University School of Medicine.
Background:
For treatment of pneumothorax in Korea, many institutions hospitalize the patient after chest tube insertion. In this study, a portable small-bore chest tube (Thoracic Egg; Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) was used for pneumothorax management in an outpatient clinic.
Methods:
Between August 2014 and March 2015, 56 pneumothorax patients were treated using the Thoracic Egg.
Results:
After Thoracic Egg insertion, 44 patients (78.6%) were discharged from the emergency room for follow-up in the outpatient clinic, and 12 patients (21.4%) were hospitalized. The mean duration of Thoracic Egg chest tube placement was 4.8 days, and the success rate was 73%; 20% of patients showed incomplete expansion and underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. For primary spontaneous pneumothorax patients, the success rate of the Thoracic Egg was 76.6% and for iatrogenic pneumothorax, it was 100%. There were 2 complications using the Thoracic Egg.
Conclusion:
Outpatient treatment of pneumothorax using the Thoracic Egg could be a good treatment option for primary spontaneous and iatrogenic pneumothorax.
