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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2006;30:649-651
© 2006 Elsevier Science NL

A single 24 F Blake drain after wedge resection or lobectomy: a study on 100 consecutive cases

^a Department of Thoracic and Cardio-Vascular Surgery, CHRU de Caen, Côte de Nacre, 14033 Caen Cedex, France
^b Department of Anesthesiology, CHRU de Caen, France

Received 21 March 2006; received in revised form 16 June 2006; accepted 26 June 2006.

^_* Corresponding author. Tel.: +33 1 231063106 (Email: icard-p{at}chu-caen.fr).

Objective: To evaluate the results of chest drainage using one 24 F Blake drain after standard thoracic operations (wedge resection and lobectomy). Methods: In 2005, 100 consecutive patients underwent drainage of their pleural cavity following lobectomy or wedge resection(s). There were 70 men and 30 women, with a mean age of 55 years (17–83). There were 47 lobectomies (23 upper, 5 middle, 19 lower), 3 bilobectomies (2 right upper and middle, 1 right lower and middle), and 2 anatomical segmentectomies. All these anatomical resections were performed by standard thoracotomy, mainly for cancer diseases (45 cases). Furthermore, 48 atypical resections by single or multiple wedge(s) were realized, 20 of them by VATS. They included 14 various benign diseases, 16 malignant diseases, 8 significant emphysema bullous, and 10 blebs. Chest X rays were performed regularly in the postoperative period to detect residual pleural effusion or pneumothorax necessitating additional drainage or reoperation. Patients were controlled one month after discharge. Results: One patient with pleural carcinosis died of pulmonary embolus on day 8. Neither replacement of chest tube nor reoperation was necessary for pleural space problems. Median duration of drainage was 5 days (3–15), 6 days after lobectomy and 4 days after wedge resection. In 15 cases, the duration of drainage was more than 8 days: 11 persistent air leaks and 4 drainages exceeding 150–200 cm³ daily. Ninety percent of patients were discharged the day following the drain removal. Conclusions: Postoperative courses after standard thoracic procedures using a single 24 F Blake drainage appear similar to that accounting after a classical semi-rigid drainage. Such single drainage may appear now as an acceptable option. The flexible quality of the drain, its reduced caliber, and the character unique of the drainage, may contribute to improve comfort of the operated patients.

Key Words: Drainage • Lobectomy • Wedge resection

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				P. Saxena, N. Kejriwal, and M. A.J. Newman Use of Blake drains following lung resection Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg., December 1, 2006; 30(6): 952 - 952. [Full Text] [PDF]