Related Experiment Videos
How soon should drainage tubes be removed after cardiac operations?
Y M Smulders1, M E Wiepking, A C Moulijn
1Department of Cardiopulmonary Surgery, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
|October 1, 1989
Summary
Prolonging chest tube drainage after cardiac surgery does not reduce pericardial effusion incidence. Early drain removal, preferably on postoperative day one, is recommended to minimize patient discomfort and infection risk.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Thoracic Surgery
- Medical Device Technology
Background:
- Postoperative pericardial effusion is common after cardiac operations.
- The exact cause of this effusion remains unclear.
- Thoracic drainage effectiveness is a potential, unstudied factor.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the duration of postoperative thoracic drainage and the incidence of pericardial effusion.
- To determine if prolonged drainage impacts effusion rates following cardiac surgery.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 100 patients undergoing cardiac operations.
- Two-dimensional echocardiography was used to assess for pericardial effusion on the sixth postoperative day.
- Patients were divided into groups based on the duration of thoracic drainage.
Main Results:
- Extending thoracic drainage by 24 hours significantly increased chest tube output.
- However, prolonged drainage did not alter the incidence of pericardial effusion.
- Approximately 55% of patients had pericardial effusion on postoperative day six, irrespective of drainage duration.
Conclusions:
- The duration of postoperative thoracic drainage does not influence the occurrence of pericardial effusion after cardiac surgery.
- Early removal of thoracic drains, ideally on the first postoperative day, is advised.
- This approach mitigates patient discomfort, mechanical irritation, and infection risk associated with prolonged drainage.