Why chest tubes are inserted

When chest tubes are placed in a patient who is awake, patients can expect to receive some form of local pain killer where the chest tube will be inserted.

Often, patients are also given medicine to help ease anxiety. Although efforts are made to make the procedure more tolerable, patients still usually experience some discomfort. Some chest tubes are inserted after the skin and muscles of the chest wall are cut and gently spread apart. Some chest tubes are inserted after a wire is placed into the chest through a needle and the wire acts as a track for the tube to follow.

In both cases, patients often report some discomfort after the procedure as the tube lies on the ribs and moves slightly with each breath. Luckily, this discomfort is usually temporary. The main goal of this procedure is drainage of the pleural space. Patients can expect to see or feel the fluid or air leaving the chest. Often, patients may feel the collapsed lung re-expanding.

A chest X-ray will be performed after the procedure to see how much air or fluid has been drained, how much the lung has re-expanded, and to determine the final position of the chest tube. Chest tubes remain in place for a variable number of days.

Usually, when the amount of fluid draining from the tube is low, or there is no more air escaping through the tube, it can be removed. Like any surgical procedure, the primary risks with chest tube placement are bleeding and infection. Practitioners are careful to avoid the blood vessels that run on the underside of the ribs during placement.

In order to avoid introducing an infection, the entire procedure is performed in a sterile fashion. The other major risks involve damage to the other structures in the chest, like the lungs and heart. Though injuries to these structures are very uncommon, they can be serious.

Doctors remove chest tubes when they are no longer necessary, for example when the tube is no longer draining blood or fluid. According to the Chest Foundation , most people need to keep the chest tube in for a few days. When removing a chest tube, a doctor will cut the sutures holding the tube in place and gently pull it out. The procedure can be uncomfortable, but should not be painful. People should monitor the incision site for signs of infection while it heals, and inform their doctor as soon as possible if the wound swells, turns red, or starts oozing pus.

It is likely that a small scar will remain at the insertion site. A chest tube can be a relatively non-invasive way to access the pleural space to drain fluid or administer medication. Pain ranging from mild to severe sometimes occurs around the left lung. Learn more about the condition and the many potential treatment options here. Restrictive lung disease is a group of conditions that prevent the lungs from expanding to full capacity and filling with air.

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A look at punctured lung, a condition where air escapes from the lung into the chest cavity. Included is detail on the causes and outlook. Chest tube insertion: Procedure, complications, and removal. Pain during placement: Chest tube insertion is usually very painful. Your doctor will help manage your pain by injecting an anesthetic through an IV or directly into the chest tube site. The use of sterile tools during the procedure helps reduce this risk.

Bleeding: A very small amount of bleeding can occur if a blood vessel is damaged when the chest tube is inserted. Poor tube placement: In some cases, the chest tube can be placed too far inside or not far enough inside the pleural space.

The tube may also fall out. The chest tube usually stays in for a few days. After your doctor is sure that no more fluid or air needs to be drained, the chest tube will be removed. The removal of the chest tube is usually performed quickly and without sedation.

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