Blog

As a followup to the previous study, this preclinical study performed in the laboratories of the Cleveland Clinic compared 20 Fr PleuraFlow® ACT Systems to 32 Fr conventional chest tubes. In another head to head comparison in the setting of heavy bleeding,
downsized PleuraFlow systems evacuated significantly more blood from the chest, resulting in significantly less retained blood in the chest cavicty. This is the first time a small diameter tube has not only been found to be equivalent to a larger tube, but in fact superior.

A preclinical study performed in the laboratories of the Cleveland Clinic compared 32 Fr PleuraFlow® ACT
Systems to 32 Fr conventional chest tubes. In a head to head comparison with a same sized conventional chest
tube in the setting of heavy bleeding, the PleuraFlow evacuated significantly more blood from the chest, resulting
in significantly less retained blood in the chest cavicty.

A survey of North American cardiothoracic surgeons and specialty cardiac surgery nurses performed to better define problems with current paradigms for chest drainage.

At the end of every open-heart surgery, surgeons place chest tubes in the surgical spaces to evacuate any post-surgical blood and/or fluid until normal coagulation is restored and hemostasis is achieved. The goal is to evacuate as much of the blood from these spaces as possible before the chemically thinned blood undergoes the phase change from liquid to solid as the coagulation system is restored. Any blood that…

Chest tubes clog after cardiac surgery. This is a known fact that has been acknowledged by 100% of surgeons surveyed, most of whom also report seeing serious adverse complications associated with clogged chest tubes.(1) When chest tubes clog in the presence of post-surgical bleeding, the evacuation of blood from around the heart and lungs can be impaired.

For years, surgeons have been trying to improve the evacuation of post cardiac surgery blood to prevent retained blood complex (RBC). Various permutations of suction drains (anticoagulant coatings, sump-style drains) have been tried, but the problem still remains that the single central lumen clogs with clot and impairs evacuation. (1-3) When this happens, acute complications can ensue, or sub-acute complications can result that slow recovery and contribute to…

All patients have post-surgical bleeding in the early hours after heart surgery. Some patients, depending on the extent of the surgery, comorbidities, or the use of preoperative anti-platelet drugs like Plavix , bleed more extensively than others. Studies have shown that the volume and rate of postoperative bleeding is strongly correlated with negative outcomes.

For years cardiac surgeons have put in large chest tubes, often 36 Fr (12mm, 0.5 inches) in diameter and larger, to evacuate blood from around the heart and lungs after heart surgery. These large diameter tubes have been referred to as garden hoses, and patients are often shocked when they wake up to see these large tubes exiting their bodies. A recent publication by Rahman and colleagues (1)…

  PleuraFlow® Active Clearance Technology™ (ACT) enables clinicians to keep chest tubes clear of clot obstructions, providing superior postoperative blood evacuation, which can reduce Retained Blood Complex (RBC). Learn more about RBC and how PleuraFlow ACT is clearing the pathway to recovery in our new video animation.