Active Chest Tube Clearance After Cardiac Surgery Is Associated With Reduced Reexploration Rates

Ineffective evacuation of intrathoracic fluid after cardiac surgery (retained blood syndrome [RBS]) might increase postoperative complications, morbidity, and mortality. Active tube clearance (ATC) technology using an intraluminal clearing apparatus aims at increasing chest tube drainage efficiency. This study evaluated whether ATC reduces RBS in an all-comers collective undergoing scheduled cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and full or partial median sternotomy.

In this nonrandomized prospective trial, 581 consecutive patients undergoing scheduled cardiac surgery with median sternotomy between January 2016 and December 2016 were assigned to receive conventional chest tubes (control group) or a combination of conventional tubes and as many as two ATC devices (ATC group), depending on their operation date. Postoperative occurrence of RBS (one or more of the following: reexploration for bleeding or tamponade, pericardial drainage procedure, pleural drainage procedure) and other endpoints were compared. Propensity score matching was applied.

In 222 ATC patients and 222 matched control patients, RBS occurrence did not differ between the groups (ATC 16%, control 22%; p = 0.15). However, reexploration rate for bleeding or tamponade was significantly reduced in the ATC group compared with the control group (4.1% versus 9.1%, respectively; p = 0.015). The mortality of RBS patients (21%) was higher compared with patients without RBS (3.9%, p < 0.001). Among the RBS components, only reexploration (odds ratio 16, 95% confidence interval: 5.8 to 43, p < 0.001) was relevant for inhospital mortality (ATC 6.8%, control 7.7%; p = 0.71).

Active tube clearance is associated with reduced reexploration rates in an all-comers collective undergoing cardiac surgery. Reexploration is the only RBS component relevant for mortality. The ATC effect does not translate into improved overall survival.