Clinical Profile and Outcome of Intercostal Tube Drainage in Patients with Secondary Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Pneumothorax is a prevalent pleural condition encountered by physicians in clinical practice, classified into two types: primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP), with SSP being more common, which necessitates prompt intervention due to its poorer prognosis and reduced likelihood of successful conservative management. The primary objective of this study is to assess the outcome of intercostal tube drainage in individuals with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. The study took place in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, a leading tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh. The research involved 175 patients selected through a purposive non-probability sampling technique. Among 175 patients, remarkably, 161 patients (92.0%) reported experiencing relief from dyspnea, while 147(84.0%) exhibited an expansion of lung fields. This suggests that patients who find relief from dyspnea are likely to experience lung field expansion. This data highlights the substantial correlation between these two clinical outcomes in this patient population. Postoperative pain (49.0%) was the most prevalent consequence, and tube dislodgement (2.0%) was the least common complication after Intercostal tube insertion. Regarding the duration of hospital stays, 84 patients (48.0%) were discharged within 7 days, 56 patients (32.0%) were hospitalized for 8-14 days and 35 patients (20.0%) remained in the hospital for more than 14 days. In comparison, the durations for intercostal tube insertions were 0-7 days for 105 patients (60.0%), 8-14 days for 35 patients (20.0%) and over 14 days for another 35 patients (20.0%).