How to distinguish an active air leak from a pleural space effect

Aim: We aimed to distinguish a pleural space effect from an active air leak, using a digital chest drain system that provided continuous air flow and pleural pressure checks. Methods: between March 2010 and October 2011, we employed 144 digital drains for 138 thoracic surgical procedures. Results: W...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Asian cardiovascular & thoracic annals 2012-12, Vol.20 (6), p.682-688
Main Authors: Marasco, Rita Daniela, Giudice, Gabriella, Lequaglie, Cosimo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Air
Drainage
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Pleural Cavity
Postoperative Complications - diagnosis
Prospective Studies
Thoracic Surgical Procedures
Young Adult
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Summary:Aim: We aimed to distinguish a pleural space effect from an active air leak, using a digital chest drain system that provided continuous air flow and pleural pressure checks. Methods: between March 2010 and October 2011, we employed 144 digital drains for 138 thoracic surgical procedures. Results: We observed 18 (12.5%) active air leaks, among which 4 (2.8%) were prolonged air leaks characterized by high differential pleural pressure due to increased mean expiratory pressure (>1 cm H2O; p 
ISSN:0218-4923
1816-5370
DOI:10.1177/0218492312451918