Interventional Bronchus Occlusion Using Amplatzer Devices – A Promising Treatment Option for Children with Persistent Air Leak

Background: Persistent air leak (PAL) is a severe complication of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP). Surgical interventions are usually successful when medical treatment fails, but can be associated with significant complications and loss of potentially recoverable lung parenchyma. Methods: Retrospective analysis of efficacy and safety of interventional bronchus occlusions (IBO) using Amplatzer devices (ADs) in children with PAL secondary to SSP. Results: Six patients (four males, 4–15 years of age) underwent IBO using ADs as treatment for PAL. Necrotizing pneumonia (NP) was the most common cause (n=4) of PAL. Three patients were previously healthy and three suffered from chronic lung disease. All patients required at least two chest tubes prior to the intervention for a duration of 15–43 days and all required oxygen or higher level of ventilatory support. In three cases, previous surgical interventions had been performed without success. All children improved after endobronchial intervention and we observed no associated complications. All chest tubes were removed within 5–25 days post IBO. In patients with PAL related to NP (n=4), occluders were removed bronchoscopically without re-occurrence of pneumothorax after a mean of 70 days (IQR: 46.5–94). Conclusion: IBO using ADs is a safe and valuable treatment option in children with PAL independent of disease severity and underlying cause. A major advantage of this procedure is its less invasiveness compared to surgery and the parenchyma- preserving approach.

Toward a Next-Generation Digital Chest Tube

Chest tubes in patients who have undergone pulmonary resection with pleural air leak are painful, impair ventilatory mechanics, and increase hospital length of stay and costs. Despite these well-documented concerns, current protocols for chest tube management in this setting are not well supported by evidence. Excessive suction applied to chest tubes has been associated with prolonged air leak due to alveolar over-distension, and most practitioners intuit that suction should be minimized to the lowest level needed to maintain desired pleural apposition. Unfortunately, there is no evidence-based protocol for the establishment of minimal adequate suction. Digital suction devices in current clinical use can identify air leak resolution preventing the delay of chest tube removal but cannot guide suction minimization while an air leak persists. We recently described a monitor of lung expansion in a porcine model of pleural air leak that could detect loss of pleural apposition continuously in real-time based on electrical impedance readings obtained directly from the surface of the lung via chest tube-embedded electrodes. The value of the impedance signal was “in-range” when pleural apposition was present but became abruptly “out-of-range” when pneumothorax due to inadequate suction developed. These findings suggested that a digitally controlled suction pump system could be programmed to recognize the development of pneumothorax and automatically identify and set the minimum level of suction required to maintain pleural apposition. We present here preliminary proof of concept for this system.

Chest Tubes

Insertion of intercostal drainage (ICD) tube is one of the commonest surgical procedure that is life saving in certain circumstances. Although the procedure is being used for long, yet there is no consensus in its management. The procedure is simple to perform but the incidence of the complications, which primarily occur due to improper positioning of the tube and poor post-procedural care, is as high as 40%. It is therefore essential that all clinicians should be familiar with this simple, common and lifesaving procedure. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of various aspects of intercostal drainage including the prerequisites, technique of insertion, post-procedural care, complications and common pitfalls in the management of chest tubes in the light of the recent advances and updates.

Routine chest X-rays after pigtail chest tube removal rarely change management in children

Background The need for chest X-rays (CXR) following large-bore chest tube removal has been questioned; however, the utility of CXRs following removal of small-bore pigtail chest tubes is unknown. We hypothesized that CXRs obtained following removal of pigtail chest tubes would not change management. Methods Patients < 18 years old with pigtail chest tubes placed 2014–2019 at a tertiary children’s hospital were reviewed. Exclusion criteria were age < 1 month, death or transfer with a chest tube in place, or pigtail chest tube replacement by large-bore chest tube. The primary outcome was chest tube reinsertion. Results 111 patients underwent 123 pigtail chest tube insertions; 12 patients had bilateral chest tubes. The median age was 5.8 years old. Indications were pneumothorax (n = 53), pleural effusion (n = 54), chylothorax (n = 6), empyema (n = 5), and hemothorax (n = 3). Post-pull CXRs were obtained in 121/123 cases (98.4%). The two children without post-pull CXRs did not require chest tube reinsertion. Two patients required chest tube reinsertion (1.6%), both for re-accumulation of their chylothorax. Conclusions Post-pull chest X-rays are done nearly universally following pigtail chest tube removal but rarely change management. Providers should obtain post-pull imaging based on symptoms and underlying diagnosis, with higher suspicion for recurrence in children with chylothorax.

Coaxial Drainage Versus Standard Chest Tube After Pulmonary Lobectomy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objectives: Chest tubes are routinely inserted after thoracic surgery procedures in different size and numbers. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of Smart Drain Coaxial drainage compared with two standard chest tubes in patients undergoing thoracotomy for pulmonary lobectomy.Methods: Ninety-eight patients (57 males and 41 females, mean age 68.3±7.4 years) with lung cancer undergoing open pulmonary lobectomy were randomized in two groups: 50 received one upper 28-Fr and one lower 32-Fr standard chest tube (ST group) and 48 received one 28-Fr Smart Drain Coaxial tube (SDC group). Hospitalization, quantity of fluid output, air leaks, radiograph findings, pain control and costs were assessed.Results: We performed 33 right upper lobectomies (17 ST, 16 SDC), 25 right lower (15 ST, 10 SDC), 20 left upper (8 ST, 12 SDC) and 19 left lower (10 ST, 9 SDC). SDC group showed shorter hospitalization (7.3 vs 6.1 days, p=0.02), lower pain in postoperative day-1 (p=0.02) and a lower use of analgesic drugs (p=0.04). Pleural effusion drainage was lower in SDC group in the first postoperative day (464±143 ml vs 408±141 ml, p=0.04) and regarding the average of the first three days (374±96 ml vs 324±95 ml, p=0.01). No difference in terms of fluid retention, residual pleural space, subcutaneous emphysema and complications after chest tubes removal was found. Conclusions: Smart Drain Coaxial chest tube seems a feasible option after thoracotomy for pulmonary lobectomy. The SDC group showed a shorter hospitalization and a decreased analgesic drugs use and, thus, a reduction of costs.

Active clearance vs conventional management of chest tubes after cardiac surgery: a randomized controlled study

Background Chest tubes are routinely used after cardiac surgery to evacuate shed mediastinal blood. Incomplete chest drainage due to chest tube clogging can lead to retained blood after cardiac surgery. This can include cardiac tamponade, hemothorax, bloody effusions and postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF). Prior published non randomized studies have demonstrated that active tube clearance (ATC) of chest tubes can reduce retained blood complications prompting the ERAS Cardiac Society guidelines to recommend this modality. Objective A randomized prospective trial to evaluate whether an ATC protocol aimed at improving chest tube patency without breaking the sterile field could efficiently reduce complications related to retained blood after cardiac surgery. Methods This was a pragmatic, single-blinded, parallel randomized control trial held from November 2015 to June 2017 including a 30-day post index surgery follow-up. The setting was two academic centers affiliated with the Université de Montréal School of Medicine; the Montreal Heart Institute and the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal. Adult patients admitted for non-emergent coronary bypass grafting and/or valvular heart surgery through median sternotomy, in sinus rhythm for a minimum of 30 days prior to the surgical intervention were eligible for inclusion. In the active tube clearance group (ATC), a 28F PleuraFlow device was positioned within the mediastinum. In the standard drainage group, a conventional chest tube (Teleflex Inc.) was used. Other chest tubes were left at the discretion of the operating surgeon. Results A total of 520 adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery were randomized to receive either ATC (n = 257) or standard drainage (n = 263). ATC was associated with a 72% reduction in re-exploration for bleeding (5.7% vs 1.6%, p = .01) and an 89% reduction in complete chest tube occlusion (2% vs 19%, p = .01). There was an 18% reduction in POAF between the ATC and control group that was not statistically significant (31% vs 38%, p = .08). Conclusions and relevance In this RCT, the implementation of active clearance of chest tubes reduced re-exploration and chest tube clogging in patients after cardiac surgery further supporting recommendations to consider this modality postoperatively. Trial registration Clinical Trials NCT02808897. Retrospectively registered 22 June 2016.

A Child with Influenza A and Large Pneumatocele

: Necrotizing pneumonia (NP) is a rare complication of community-acquired pneumonia, which occurs in patients with viral pneumonia such as influenza and secondary bacterial infection. We present a five-year-old boy with cough and dyspnea and low SpO2, who was admitted to PICU. He was intubated, and two-sided chest tubes were placed because of pleural effusion. Nasopharyngeal RT-PCR for H1N1 was positive. Subcutaneous and mediastinal emphysema and a large pneumatocele developed concomitantly, and the patient underwent three times percutaneous aspiration of pneumatocele under anesthesia and CT scan guide without surgery. The size of the pneumatocele decreased, and the patient was extubated. After one month of admission, he was discharged in good condition and no pulmonary sequela.