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Troubleshooting Chest Drains

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Principles and Practice of Anesthesia for Thoracic Surgery

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Abstract

Chest tubes are the gold standard for the drainage of the pleural and pericardial spaces. They are an integral part of cardiothoracic surgery, and the well-being of patients depends on their appropriate management. Chest tubes are used to treat a variety of conditions including pneumothorax, pleural effusion, and postoperative evacuation of air and fluid. There are a number of types and sizes of chest tubes available. This chapter will discuss the indications for chest tube placement and removal as well as the best uses for different types of chest tubes. We will address complications associated with chest tube placement and lastly will discuss special situations such as bronchopleural fistula, post-pneumonectomy chest tubes, abrupt changes in chest tube output, and clamping chest tubes.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Hadley K. Wilson

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Emily G. Teeter & Lavinia M. Kolarczyk

  3. Department of Surgery, Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Benjamin Haithcock

  4. Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Jason Long

Authors
  1. Hadley K. Wilson
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  2. Emily G. Teeter
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  3. Lavinia M. Kolarczyk
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  4. Benjamin Haithcock
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  5. Jason Long
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hadley K. Wilson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Peter Slinger

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Wilson, H.K., Teeter, E.G., Kolarczyk, L.M., Haithcock, B., Long, J. (2019). Troubleshooting Chest Drains. In: Slinger, P. (eds) Principles and Practice of Anesthesia for Thoracic Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00859-8_58

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00859-8_58

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-00858-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-00859-8

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