Chest Drain Insertion & Management

You should be able to:

• Explain the indications for inserting a chest drain
• Describe common complications that can occur and techniques for preventing and managing re-expansion pulmonary oedema
• Understand how to perform the insertion of a chest drain via the Seldinger and surgical techniques safely, the role of ultrasound and how to secure them.
• Describe the relevant anatomy for chest drain insertion
• Understand the rationale for using different chest tube and drainage system types
• Manage a chest drain in situ including troubleshooting common problems
• Describe the timing of removal of chest drains and a technique to remove them safely