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Local Anesthetic Thoracoscopy for Undiagnosed Pleural Effusion
Published on: November 10, 2023
Comparison between flutter valve drainage bag and underwater seal device for the management of non-massive malignant
Olugbenga Olalekan Ojo1, Martins Oluwafemi Thomas2, Ezekiel Ogunleye3
1Department of Surgery, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-ife, Nigeria.
Introduction:
The aim of this study is to compare the use of flutter valve drainage bag system as an alternative to conventional underwater seal drainage bottle in the management of non-massive malignant/paramalignant pleural effusion.
Methods:
Forty-one patients with non-massive malignant and paramalignant pleural effusions were randomized into two groups. Group A (21patients) had their chest tubes connected to an underwater seal drainage bottle, while group B (20 patients) had their chest tubes connected to a flutter bag drainage device. Data obtained was analyzed with SPSS statistical package (version 16.0).
Results:
Breast cancer was the malignancy present at diagnosis in 24(58%) patients. Complication rates were similar, 9.5% in the underwater seal group and 10 % in the flutter bag drainage group. The mean duration to full mobilization was 35.0±20.0 hours in the flutter bag group and 52.7±18.5 hours in the underwater seal group, p-value 0.007. The mean length of hospital was 7.9±2.2 days in the flutter bag group and 9.8±2.7 days in the underwater seal group. This was statistically significant, p-value of 0.019. There was no difference in the effectiveness of drainage between both groups, complete lung re-expansion was observed in 16(80%) of the flutter bag group and 18(85.7%) of the underwater seal drainage group, p-value 0.70.
Conclusion:
The flutter valve drainage bag is an effective and safe alternative to the standard underwater seal drainage bottle in the management of non-massive malignant and paramalignant pleural effusion.
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