Chest drainage helps maintain respiratory function and hemodynamic stability by removing blood, fluid, or air from around your lungs or heart. Robotics, artificial intelligence, telemedicine, health apps and much more. The digital revolution is not bypassing the medical field. Quite the opposite: it is quickly heading towards our day-to-day work and influencing how we work in the OR, the ICU and on the ward.
And chest drainage systems have already started to become digital. Digital chest drainage systems were launched in 2007. Traditional systems that rely on external wall suction have long been outdated.
Thanks to their evidence-based benefits, digital chest drainage systems have also been recommended in national and international guidances. Clinical decisions are increasingly based on therapy data and economic drivers in healthcare systems. Therefore, reliable information is even more important.
*Monitoring of fluid drainage, air leak and pressure
2020 Barozzi L, Biagio LS, Meneguzzi M, et al. Novel, digital, chest drainage system in cardiac surgery. J Card Surg. 2020;1–6.2020Pfeuty K, Lenot B. Early postoperative day 0 chest tube removal using a digital drainage device protocol after thoracoscopic major pulmonary resection. Interact CardioVasc Thorac Surg 2020; doi:10.1093/icvts/ivaa170.
2016 Miller DL, Helms GA, Mayfield WR. Digital drainage system reduces hospitalization after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lung resection. Ann Thorac Surg 2016;102:955-61.2016Wei B, Cerfolio RJ. Clinical pathway for thoracic surgery in the United States. J Thorac Dis. 2016;8:S29eS36.
2016 Sihoe AD. Uniportal video-assisted thoracic (VATS) lobectomy. Ann Cardiothorac Surg 2016;5:133–44.
1. Lung cancer statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Accessed June 8, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/statistics/
index.htm
2. Lang-Lazdunski L. Surgery for nonsmall cell lung cancer. Eur Respir Rev.
2013;22(129):382-404. doi:10.1183/09059180.00003913
3. French DG, Plourde M, Henteleff H, Mujoomdar A, Bethune D. Optimal
management of postoperative parenchymal air leaks. J Thorac Dis.
2018;10(Suppl 32):S3789-S3798. doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.10.05
4. Aldaghlawi F, Kurman JS, Lilly JA, et al. A systematic review of digital
versus analog drainage for air leak following surgical resection or spontaneous
pneumothorax. Chest. 2020;157(5):1346-1353. doi:10.1016/j.
chest.2019.11.046
5. Wood DE, Lauer LM, Layton A, Tong KB. Prolonged length of stay associated
with air leak following pulmonary resection has a negative impact
on hospital margin. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. 2016;8:187-195.
doi:10.2147/CEOR.S95603
6. Thopaz+ portable digital system for managing chest drains. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. March 21, 2018. Updated June 6, 2022.
Accessed December 12, 2022. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/mtg37
7. STS National Database. Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Accessed
December 10, 2022. https://www.sts.org/registries-research-center/
sts-national-database
8. Burt BM, Shrager JB. Prevention and management of postoperative
air leaks. Ann Cardiothorac Surg. 2014;3(2):216-218. doi:10.3978/j.
issn.2225-319X.2014.03.03
9. Drahush N, Miller AD, Smith JS, Royer AM, Spiva M, Headrick JR Jr.
Standardized approach to prolonged air leak reduction after pulmonary
resection. Ann Thorac Surg. 2016;101(6):2097-2101. doi:10.1016/
j.athoracsur.2016.01.049
10. Pompili C, Detterbeck F, Papagiannopoulos K, et al. Multicenter international
randomized comparison of objective and subjective outcomes
between electronic and traditional chest drainage systems. Ann Thorac
Surg. 2014;98(2):490-497. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2014.03.043
11. Memtsoudis SG, Poeran J, Kehlet H. Enhanced recovery after surgery in
the United States: from evidence-based practice to uncertain science?
JAMA. 2019;321(11):1049-1050.
12. Batchelor TJP, Rasburn NJ, Abdelnour-Berchtold E, et al. Guidelines for
enhanced recovery after lung surgery: recommendations of the Enhanced
Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Society and the European Society of
Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS). Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2019;55(1):91-115.
13. Wang H, Hu W, Ma L, Zhang Y. Digital chest drainage system versus
traditional chest drainage system after pulmonary resection: a systematic
review and meta-analysis. J Cardiothorac Surg. 2019;14(1):13.
14. Zhou J, Lyu M, Chen N, et al. Digital chest drainage is better than traditional
chest drainage following pulmonary surgery: a meta-analysis.
Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2018;54(4):635-643. doi:10.1093/ejcts/ezy141
15. Plourde M, Jad A, Dorn P, et al. Digital air leak monitoring for lung
resection patients: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Ann Thorac
Surg. 2018;106(6):1628-1632.
16. Takamochi K, Nojiri S, Oh S, et al. Comparison of digital and traditional
thoracic drainage systems for postoperative chest tube management after
pulmonary resection: a prospective randomized trial. J Thorac Cardiovasc
Surg. 2018;155(4):1834-1840.
17. Gilbert S, McGuire AL, Maghera S, et al. Randomized trial of digital
versus analog pleural drainage in patients with or without a pulmonary
air leak after lung resection. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2015;150(5):1243-
1249. doi:10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.08.051
18. Brunelli A, Salati M, Refai M, Di Nunzio L, Xiumé F, Sabbatini A. Evaluation
of a new chest tube removal protocol using digital air leak monitoring
after lobectomy: a prospective randomized trial. Eur J Cardiothorac
Surg. 2010;37(1):56-60. doi:10.1016/j.ejcts.2009.05.006
19. Cerfolio RJ, Bryant AS. The benefits of continuous and digital air leak
assessment after elective pulmonary resection: a prospective study. Ann
Thorac Surg. 2008;86(2):396-401. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2008.04.016
20. De Waele M, Agzarian J, Hanna WC, et al. Does the usage of digital chest
drainage systems reduce pleural inflammation and volume of pleural
effusion following oncologic pulmonary resection? A prospective randomized
trial. J Thorac Dis. 2017;9(6):1598-1606. doi:10.21037/
jtd.2017.05.78
21. Lijkendijk M, Licht PB, Neckelmann K. Electronic versus traditional chest
tube drainage following lobectomy: a randomized trial. Eur J Cardiothorac
Surg. 2015;48(6):893-898.
22. Marulli G, Comacchio GM, Nosotti M, et al. Multicenter randomized
study on the comparison between electronic and traditional chest drainage
systems. Trials. 2019;20(1):730. doi:10.1186/s13063-019-3811-8
23. Filosso PL, Nigra VA, Lanza G, et al. Digital versus traditional air leak
evaluation after elective pulmonary resection: a prospective and comparative
mono-institutional study. J Thorac Dis. 2015;7(10):1719-1724.
24. Mayor JM, Lazarus DR, Casal RF, et al. Air leak management program
with digital drainage reduces length of stay after lobectomy. Ann Thorac
Surg. 2018;106(6):1647-1653.
25. Miller DL, Helms GA, Mayfield WR. Digital drainage system reduces hospitalization
after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lung resection. Ann
Thorac Surg. 2016;102(3):955-961. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2016.03.089
26. Pompili C, Brunelli A, Salati M, Refai M, Sabbatini A. Impact of the
learning curve in the use of a novel electronic chest drainage system
after pulmonary lobectomy: a case-matched analysis on the duration of
chest tube usage. Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2011;13(5):490-493.
doi:10.1510/icvts.2011.280941
27. Jacobsen K, Talbert S, Boyer JH. The benefits of digital drainage system
versus traditional drainage system after robotic-assisted pulmonary
lobectomy. J Thorac Dis. 2019;11(12):5328-5335. doi:10.21037/
28. Afoke J, Tan C, Hunt I, Zakkar M. Might digital drains speed up the
time to thoracic drain removal? Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg.
2014;19(1):135-138.
29. Rodríguez M, Jiménez MF, Hernández MT, Novoa NM, Aranda JL,
Varela G. Usefulness of conventional pleural drainage systems to predict
the occurrence of prolonged air leak after anatomical pulmonary
resection. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2015;48(4):612-615. doi:10.1093/
ejcts/ezu470
30. Shintani Y, Funaki S, Ose N, et al. Air leak pattern shown by digital chest
drainage system predict prolonged air leakage after pulmonary resection
for patients with lung cancer. J Thorac Dis. 2018;10(6):3714-3721.
doi:10.21037/jtd.2018.05.150
31. Takamochi K, Imashimizu K, Fukui M, et al. Utility of objective chest
tube management after pulmonary resection using a digital drainage
system. Ann Thorac Surg. 2017;104(1):275-283. doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.
2017.01.061
32. Mori R, Yamazaki K, Shoji F, et al. Assessment of pleural air leakage
using digital chest drainage system after surgical pulmonary resection:
comparison of visible alveolar air leakage with the digital value measured
by a digital chest drainage system. PLoS One. 2017;12(11):e0187705.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0187705
33. Baringer K, Talbert S. Chest drainage systems and management of air
leaks after a pulmonary resection. J Thorac Dis. 2017;9(12):5399-5403.
34. Freeman RK, Dilts JR, Ascioti AJ, Dake M, Mahidhara RS. A comparison
of length of stay, readmission rate, and facility reimbursement
after lobectomy of the lung. Ann Thorac Surg. 2013;96(5):1740-1746.
doi:10.1016/j.athoracsur.2013.06.053
35. Setting the stage for sustainability in quality improvement projects.
National Institute for Children’s Health Quality. Accessed December
12, 2022. https://www.nichq.org/insight/setting-stage-sustainabilityquality-
improvement-projects
36. How does standardizing care affect quality? Wolters Kluwer. November
9, 2017. Accessed December 10, 2022. https://www.wolterskluwer.com/
en/expert-insights/how-does-standardizing-care-affect-quality
1 National Institute for Health Excellence. Thopaz+ portable digital system for managing chest drains. Medical technologies guidance [MTG37]