Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

    Background and Aim: Chest tube has been used as a close drainage system for evacuation of pleural cavity after thoracic surgery and in traumatic patients.Today, the chest bottles are made from hard and fragile  material that may be broken easily. Also chest bottle needs sterile saline solution for proper functioning. This causes heaviness with pressure effect on the chest wall, resulting in severe pleuritic pain and interfering with early ambulation and post operative ventilation. The goal of this study is to use a new drainage device that  in addition to draining pleural cavity properly doesnot have the other side-effects of the conventional chest bottle.

Patients and Methods: This interventional clinical-trial was designed to compare the efficacy of new drainage device (Drainage bag) and chest bottle for pleural cavity evacuation.In this study, 50 patients that were admitted in the wards of Hazrat Rasool Akram hospital and needed chest tube were selected. After explaining the proceduce and obtaining their consent, they were divided randomly into two groups of 25 each. For one group (25 patients) routine chest bottle was utilized and in the other group (25 patients) new drainge bag was used as close drainage system of pleural cavity. The two groups were compared for severity of pain (by VAS), patient satisfaction and duration of admission. All data were analyzed statistically.Independent samples test was used for quantitative variants and qualitative variants were analyzed by Chi square test.

Results: Distribution of mean pain score was 4.2 for drainage bag versus 5.5 for routine chest bottle. Similary, in regard to patients satisfaction for movability and changing of device, the rate was 81% for drainage bag and 43% for routine chest bottle.Duration of hospitalization was the other item that was evaluated in this relation data showed 5.3 days for drainage bag and 8.7 days for the chest bottle group.

Conclusion: According to our data it seems that use of new “drainage bag” for evacuation of pleural cavity can be as effective as routine chest bottle with less pain, more patient satisfaction and shorthening of hospitalization period.