Pleural and intra-abdominal long-term drainage: comparison of a novel double-loop and a conventional single-loop...

To evaluate the efficacy and advantages of a novel double-loop drainage catheter (nDLC) compared with a conventional single-loop catheter (cSLC) in overcoming dysfunctional retraction for pleural and intra-abdominal drainage.

A retrospective review of 356 patients who underwent drainage procedures between January and October 2023 was conducted. Of these, 221 received cSLC and 135 received nDLC, all using 8-F catheters. Complicated collections (e.g., empyema, pneumothorax, bile, pancreatic secretions, bloody collection, urine, or air) were excluded. The complication-free catheter indwelling time was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Patient characteristics and complications were compared using paired t-tests and Fisher's exact tests.

The nDLC group demonstrated a significantly longer mean complication-free catheter indwelling time [70.3 days, 95% confidence interval (CI): 52.8-87.9] than the cSLC group (19.6 days, 95% CI: 17.9-21.2; P < 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed superior indwelling times with nDLC for both intra-abdominal (77.5 vs. 18.7 days) and pleural drainage (35.9 vs. 19.7 days) (P < 0.05). Dysfunctional retraction occurred in 10 cases in the cSLC group but in no cases in the nDLC group (P < 0.001).

The nDLC significantly reduces dysfunctional retraction and provides a longer complication-free catheter indwelling time than the cSLC for both pleural and intra-abdominal drainage.

The nDLC design effectively prevents catheter retraction and eliminates the need for suture anchoring, potentially reducing suture-related complications and improving long-term catheter performance in patients requiring prolonged pleural or intra-abdominal drainage.