When should you suction a chest drain?

Keeping the drainage system below the level of the patient’s chest enhances gravity drainage; additional pressure is created when the patient exhales or coughs. However, if the patient has a large air leak into the pleural space, gravity drainage may not be sufficient to evacuate the chest, and suction may be required.

What is the purpose of suction on a chest tube?

Closed chest drainage systems use gravity and/or suction to restore negative pressure and remove air, fluid, and/or blood from the pleural space so that the collapsed lung can re-expand.

What are the indication of a chest drain?

Indications for Use tension pneumothorax should always be treated with a chest drain after initial relief with a small bore cannula or needle 3. in any ventilated patient with a pneumothorax as the positive airway pressure will force air into the pleural cavity and quickly produce a tension pneumothorax 4.

Does pneumothorax need suction?

Overview. Pneumothorax can be life-threatening. The immediate treatment for pneumothorax is tube thoracostomy, or the insertion of a chest tube. A long, flexible, hollow, narrow tube is inserted through the ribs into the pleural splace, and the tube is attached to a suction device.

What is the frequently of suctioning?

Frequency of Suctioning It has been suggested by Pedersen et al3 that ETS should be performed at least every 8 hours to slow the formation of the secretion biofilm within the lumen of the endotracheal tube (ETT).

What does the suction control chamber do?

Wet suction control systems regulate suction pressure by the height of the column of water in the suction control chamber. The amount of negative pressure that is transmitted to the patient’s chest is determined by the height of water in this chamber, not the level of vacuum set on regulator.

What does suction do for a pneumothorax?

A long, flexible, hollow, narrow tube is inserted through the ribs into the pleural splace, and the tube is attached to a suction device. This allows the air to be evacuated from the pleural space, and allows the lung to re-expand.

What are the indications for suctioning?

Indications for suctioning include:

  • Audible or visual signs of secretions in the tube.
  • Signs of respiratory distress.
  • Suspicion of a blocked or partially blocked tube.
  • Inability by the child to clear the tube by coughing out the secretions.
  • Vomiting.
  • Desaturation on pulse oximetry.

When should you suction a patient?

Tips

  1. Apply suction for no longer than 10 seconds. Applying suction for longer periods of time can cause injury, hypoxia and bradycardia.
  2. Do not apply suction while inserting the catheter. This can increase the chances of injuring the mucus membranes.
  3. If suctioning through the nose, do not force the catheter.

What should chest tube suction be set at?

The chest tube should initially be set to continuous suction at -20 mmHg to evacuate the air. Once the air leak has stopped, the chest tube should be placed on water seal to confirm resolution of the pneumothorax (water seal mimics normal physiology).