Comparison of Single and Double Chest Tube Drainage Management in Patients Undergoing Thoracotomy

Abstract Background chest tube is the most commonly performed surgical procedure in thoracic surgery practice. It is defined as insertion of (chest tube) into the pleural cavity to drain air, blood, bile, pus, chyle or other fluids. Aim of the Work comparison of single and double chest tube drainage management in patients undergoing thoracotomy in the form of pain score, hospital stay, total drainage, residual collection after removal of chest tube and need for another chest tube at Cardiothoracic Academy Hospital and Ain Shams University Specialized Hospital (ASUSH). Patients and Methods this study was conducted on patients who undergone thoracotomy at the Cardiothoracic Academy Hospital and Ain Shams University Specialized Hospital throughout the last 6 months from March 2018 till August 2018. Data was collected retrospectively from 40 patients, 20 patients in each group. In the 20 patients in the ‘single-tube group', only one chest tube was inserted, and in the 20 patients in the ‘double-tube group', two chest tubes were inserted. Pre-, intra- and postoperative variables in both groups were compared. Results 40 patients met all inclusion criteria. The pre- and intraoperative characteristics of the patients were similar in both groups with no significant differences. The single-tube group was found to have a lesser amount of total pleural drainage than the double-tube group but there was no significant difference 202.50 cc vs 297.50 cc, respectively; (p > 0.05). Conclusion our results showed that the single chest tube drainage is more effective, reduces postoperative pain, hospitalization times and duration of drainage in patients who undergo thoracotomy.