A simple, novel, cost-effective technique for the management of chest drains.

摘要

Chest drain insertion is regular practice in cardiothoracic surgery; it also forms part of emergency medical care. Effective fixation is essential following a time-sensitive emergency procedure. Resulting complications are well known and, whilst there are many factors which contribute to the failure of chest drains, no standard method to secure, identify, adjust and remove surgical drains has ever been described. We describe a novel technique using a braided device to address these issues in a series of 50 patients admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital's Cardiothoracic Unit.