RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Chest tube clamping in spontaneous pneumothorax: 6 hours versus 24 hours – A randomized pilot study
JF European Respiratory Journal
JO Eur Respir J
FD European Respiratory Society
SP PA1821
DO 10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.PA1821
VO 46
IS suppl 59
A1 Margarida Torres Redondo
A1 Inês Neves
A1 Eva Padrão
A1 Veronica Cardoso
A1 Maria Sucena
A1 Adriana Magalhães
YR 2015
UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/46/suppl_59/PA1821.abstract
AB Introduction: In the treatment of a spontaneous pneumothorax (SP), there is consensus that chest tubes should be removed only when there is a re-expansion of lung and no clinical evidence of an air leak. There are different recommendations concerning the duration of chest tube clamping (CTC). In our department, 24 hours CTC is the conventional method.Objective: To compare the risk of recurrence of SP between 6 hours and 24 hours CTC.Methods: Forty-one patients were enrolled in the study. All subjects were randomized after the resolution of a SP: 6 hours CTC versus 24 hours CTC (control). The number and time of recurrence were analysed.Results: During the clamping time 2 patients were excluded (clamp had to be removed). Nineteen patients were included in the 6 hours group and 20 in the control group. Patients (30 males) with a median age of 28 had in 76.9% history of smoking habits and 30.8% used inhaled illicit drugs. There were no recurrences in the first 7 days after chest tube removal. No significant statistical differences were found in the risk to recurrence in the two groups (p=0.471). A considerable difference between the 2 groups was found in the time until recurrence (56 days in 6 hours group versus 303 days in control group). In the multivariate analysis the CTC duration didn't influence the risk of recurrence.Conclusions: In this study, the risk of early (< 7 days) recurrence of SP was not influenced by the duration of CTC. A larger study with more patients and a longer follow-up is needed to clarify the relationship between the duration of CTC and the risk of late recurrence. A decrease in the hours of CTC can reduce in-hospital length of stay.