ArticlePediatric surgery international2024
Chest drains after open paediatric lung resections: not always required.
Article in Pediatric surgery international, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Immediate chest tube removal at the completion of anterior vertebral tethering is well-tolerated without an increased risk of pulmonary complication.Spine deformity · 2025Article
- Challenging tradition: Pediatric thoracotomy can be performed safely without a chest tube: A retrospective study.Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences · 2025Article
- Letter to editor reg: Chest drains after open pediatric lung resections: not always required.Pediatric surgery international · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionChest drains are often a great source of pain and anxiety in paediatric patients. While there is growing evidence to support the selective omission of chest drains after thorascopic lung resection in children, the safety of this practice following open lung resection has yet to be evaluated. Chest drains are not routinely placed at our institution. We therefore aimed to describe our experience of selective chest drain placement in children undergoing open lung resection, and report the safety and complication profile of this practice.
methodsRetrospective review of all open lung resections performed at Wellington Regional Hospital, in children < 16 years of age, from June 2009 to June 2022. Clinical, radiological and operative outcomes were identified and analyzed. The cohort was divided into two groups - those that had a chest drain placed intraoperatively, and those that did not.
results35 children underwent open lung resection over the study period. The mean operative age was 8.0 ± 5.4 months, with the most common resection being a lobectomy (80%). Eight children (23%) did not have a chest drain placed, whereas the remaining 29 children (77%) had at least one drain placed intraoperatively, with a median drainage time of 3.0 days. Length of stay was significantly shorter in children who did not have a chest drain placed intraoperatively, compared to those that did (2.5 vs. 5.0 days, p = 0.019). There were no significant differences observed in complication or reintervention rates between the two groups. Similarly, there were no significant differences in the incidence of a residual pneumothorax or effusion on the pre-discharge CXR between the groups.
conclusionsChest drains may not always be required following open paediatric lung resection. The selective omission of a chest drain following open lung resection, does not appear to result in a significantly higher rate of complications or reintervention, and is associated with significantly shorter hospital length of stay.
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