What are the precautions for pleural effusion drainage

In order to be healthier and effectively reduce other adverse effects caused by pleural effusion, it is necessary to pay attention to treating drainage through certain methods, but be careful to avoid folding and twisting of the drainage tube to ensure that the drainage tube is unobstructed.

1. Be careful to avoid folding or twisting of the drainage tube to ensure that it is unobstructed. Always pay attention to whether the drainage tube is blocked and whether the fluid level fluctuates with breathing. The water column in the glass tube of the water seal bottle fluctuates up and down with breathing, and the normal water column fluctuates about 2 to 6 cm. The fluctuation of the water column represents the level of chest pressure and indicates whether the drainage is unobstructed, so it should be paid attention to frequently.

2. The drainage system between the chest tube and the water seal bottle should be completely sealed and firmly fixed to prevent air leakage. This prevents air from entering the pleural cavity. The glass tube of the water seal bottle should be placed 2 to 3 cm below the liquid level and kept in an upright position. The closed chest drainage tube should be tightly covered with oil gauze strips. If the water seal bottle is broken or replaced, the drainage tube must be clamped firmly to avoid tension pneumothorax.

3. Water seal bottle location. The water seal bottle should not be placed higher than the chest, but 60 to 100 cm below the patient's chest level. Do not invert the water seal bottle to prevent the liquid from flowing back into the chest cavity.

4. Prevent infection. All operations should be performed under aseptic conditions. When changing bottles and removing the tubes, they should be wrapped with sterile gauze. The drainage tubes, tubes and drainage bottles should be kept clean and rinsed regularly with sterile distilled water to prevent intrathoracic infection.