We are very pleased with the interest shown in our paper and the recognition of this common clinical problem [1]. The authors provided an in-depth validation and analyses of some of the existing makeshift methods and related suction pressures; however, we did not aim to collect this sort of data in our clinical study. The purpose of our study was to determine the incidence of chest tube cloggin...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the image quality (IQ) is improved with iterative reconstruction in image space (IRIS), and whether IRIS can be used for radiation reduction in chest CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS Standard dose chest CT (SDCT) in 50 patients and low dose chest CT (LDCT) in another 50 patients were performed, using a dual-source CT, with 120 kVp and same reference mAs (50 mAs for SDC...

OBJECTIVE After an observational study on 50 patients determined the efficacy and safety of a small calibre (19F), flexible, fluted spiral drains with round cross-section after non-cardiac thoracic surgery we undertook a prospective study to compare these drains to standard chest drains also in terms of pain using a Visual Analog Score. METHODS One hundred consecutive patients who had to unde...

Most nurses working in an acute hospital setting will encounter patients with chest drains and underwater seal drainage at some point in their careers. This article is primarily written for the non-specialist nurse who requires a good working knowledge of chest drain insertion and underwater seal drainage. The article discusses the indications for chest drain insertion and the merits of differe...

BACKGROUND CT guided lung biopsy is a commonly performed procedure to obtain tissue for a histological diagnosis in cases of suspected lung cancer. METHODS This is a prospective cohort study to obtain information directly from patients about their experiences of the biopsy procedure, thus obtaining a more accurate picture of complications compared with previously performed retrospective revie...

Transhiatal oesophagectomy is an established technique for resection of tumours of the lower oesophagus and oesophagogastric junction. The authors describe a previously unreported serious complication associated with placement of a corrugated neck drain during transhiatal oesophagectomy. A 63 year old man was admitted for transhiatal oesophagectomy for resection of a lower third oesophageal tum...

Excision of giant emphysematous bullae commonly results in a persistent air leak that requires prolonged intercostal drainage and delays recovery. To minimise this we have used Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene) strips to buttress the suture line and secure pneumostasis. During 1976-84 eight bullae were excised in seven patients. One patient had bilateral staged thoracotomies. All chest drains we...

BACKGROUND Pneumothorax is a potentially dangerous condition which may arise unexpectedly during anaesthesia. The diagnosis is one of exclusion, as initial changes in vital signs (cardiorespiratory decompensation and difficulty with ventilation) are non-specific, and other causes of such changes are more common, whereas local signs may be difficult to elicit, especially without full access to t...

This randomized, multicenter clinical trial enrolled 103 children hospitalized with septated parapneumonic empyema (PPE) who were randomized to receive thoracoscopy (n=53) or urokinase (n=50). The main outcome variable was the length of hospital stay after treatment. The secondary outcomes were total length of hospital stay, number of days with the chest drain, number of days with fever, and tr...