title: Retained foreign body following pleural drainage with a small-bore catheter.
abstract: Small-bore radiopaque drains can be used to drain pleural effusions. They offer reliable drainage of simple pleural effusions and provide a safe, less-invasive, more comfortable alternative to the standard tube thoracostomy. Importantly, removal of such drains does not require purse-string sutures and hence can be removed without assistance. We report here the cautionary tale of a retained foreign body related to drainage of a pleural effusion with a Pleurocath in a patient following cardiac surgery to raise awareness of this potential complication. Emphasized is the need for all staff to be familiar with the normal appearance of equipment being utilized in the ward and to report when incomplete removal of drain equipment is suspected. In addition, amendments to insertion techniques for such small-bore drains are proposed to avoid similar undue complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St. Vincent's Hospital, PO Box 2900, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia. alenka_paddle@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Alenka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paddle
authors.forename: Maqsood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elahi
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Newcomb
mesh_terms: D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000009:adverse effects; D004322:Drainage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D035422:Pleural Cavity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed