What happens when chest tubes are removed in children?
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence, onset, and severity of complications in children after chest tube removal. DESIGN: A prospective evaluation of patients. SETTING: Pediatric intensive care unit in a tertiary care university hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred and one consecutive children requiring intraoperative placement of chest tubes for cardiac or noncardiac thoracic surgery. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of the 120 chest tubes placed in 101 patients, 16 were associated with positive findings after removal. Of these 16, only six required changes in management, and only two were serious complications. There was no association of complications with duration of chest tube placement. Children who developed complications were younger. All serious complications were immediately apparent after chest tube removal. CONCLUSION: Serious complications of chest tube removal in children are very uncommon and in this series were immediately apparent.
Morrison
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Departments of Pediatrics (Drs. Morrison and Baum), Surgery (Ms. Kiker), and Anesthesiology (Dr. Baum), the University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville, Virginia. E-mail: vbaum@virginia.edu
Kiker
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Baum
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