The Effect of Suction on Chest Tube Progression in Children with Parapneumonic Effusions
This retrospective study used Markov modeling to evaluate the impact of suction on chest drain management in children with parapneumonic effusions. While suction did not improve progression toward resolution from most clinical states, it was associated with delayed recovery once fluid drainage had decreased to ≤2 mL/kg/day. The findings suggest suction may be beneficial during the initial drainage phase but should be discontinued after effusion clearance to avoid prolonging recovery, highlighting the importance of stage‑specific chest drain management.
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