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Shanaz Shalli, Diyar Saeed, Kiyotaka Fukamachi, A. Marc Gillinov, William E. Cohn, Louis Perrault, Edward M. Boyle. J CARD SURG 2009;24:503-509

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

• 100% of surgeons had observed chest tube clogging
• 87% of surgeons reported adverse patient outcomes from a clogged chest tube
• 87% of surgeons reported that they use larger diameter chest tubes due to the concern for the potential for chest tube clogging
• 51% of surgeons stated that they are not satisfied with currently available tubes and procedures to avoid tube occlusion
• 74% of surgeons believe that patient discomfort is impacted by the diameter of chest tubes used
• 72% of nurses reported that their institution does not allow nurses to strip chest tubes
• 75% of nurses report that managing chest tube clogging takes them away from other important tasks.