NCT01467622

Effects of Local Protocols on Duration of Chest Tube Therapy Following Thoracic Surgery

Prospective, Non Randomized Investigator Initiated Multi-centre Trial on the Effects of Local Treatment Protocols on the Duration of Chest Tube Therapy Following Thoracic Surgery in Germany

• Status: Completed
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 80 (actual)
• Sponsor: Schillerhoehe Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 85 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The effect of local chest-tube management protocols on the duration of chest-tube therapy following thoracic surgery was analyzed in four German specialized Thoracic Surgery Units. The primary study objective was the duration of chest tube therapy in postoperative patients.

Detailed description

The management of chest tubes is probably one of the most critical aspects in patient care in thoracic surgery and defines the required length of postoperative hospital stay in the majority of patients. So far, no generally accepted recommendations exist for postoperative chest tube management to streamline the postoperative stay. Instead, decision making in most thoracic surgery units is based on team preferences and individual training rather than scientific data. Therefore, digital pleural drainage systems represent a useful tool to standardize existing intradepartmental protocols for chest tube management. However, for the development of generally accepted protocol-recommendations, the diverging interdepartmental treatment protocols have to be analyzed and compared for superiority. In this IIT, the effect of different chest tube management protocols on chest tube duration is analyzed in four German Thoracic Surgery units.

Conditions

• Pulmonary Air Leak

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
PROCEDURE	Chest tube removal	Chest tube removal on the basis of local recommendations for postoperative chest tube management

Timeline

• Start date: 2009-04-01
• Primary completion: 2009-08-01
• Completion: 2011-10-01
• First posted: 2011-11-09
• Last updated: 2013-05-07

Locations

4 sites across 1 country: Germany