!!! New Study Publication!!!
"Active Chest Tube Clearance Added to an Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery (ERAS) Program Improves Outcomes and Reduces Resource Utilization"

Adding PleuraFlow’s Active Chest Tube Clearance (ATC) to an ERAS cardiac surgery program reduced Retained Blood Syndrome by 41%, postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) by 17%, and ICU time by 30% in 684 patients compared to 650 controls, improving outcomes and resource utilization. (Gerdisch, et al, 2025)

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Chest Tube Selection in Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery: A Survey of Chest Tube-Related Complications and Their Management

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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.