How soon should we remove a chest drain following anatomic lung resection?
Effective drainology influences hospital stay duration. Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines recommend a single chest tube, digital drainage systems, pain management and improving mobility. However, suction pressure and chest tube removal criteria remain a topic of debate and research. Studies show early drain removal, on POD0, is safe using a well-defined protocol (without fluid output thresholds). This reduces complications, shortens hospital stays, and may enable same-day discharge. In future: using thoracic drains only when necessary.
Click here to read more: https://doi.org/10.1093/ejcts/ezae231
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