title: Use of small-bore silastic drains in general thoracic surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the safety and efficacy of small-bore, silastic drains for patients undergoing general thoracic surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five patients who received soft, small-bore, silastic drains were compared with 17 patients who received semi-rigid double lumen (DL) tubes retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pain score was significantly lower in patients who received the silastic tubes in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) cases on postoperative days 5 and 6 , after continuous epidural analgesia had finished (P=0.018). No specific morbidity was seen in the patients who received silastic tubes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We considered that soft, small-bore silastic drains were just as effective as traditional DL tubes, but caused less pain especially in VATS cases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yoshino
authors.forename: Toshifumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kameyama
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osoegawa
authors.forename: Tetsuzo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tagawa
authors.forename: Tomofumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yohena
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maehara
mesh_terms: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004322:Drainage / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012828:Silicones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D012828:Silicones; C013830:baysilon