ABSTRACT
General approach to complications521 Specific procedural complications 522 Complications specific to chest drain insertion 524
Procedural steps to prevent or minimize complications 525 Preparation 525 Site selection 526
Technique 526 Aftercare 527
Safety measures to prevent complications in your institution 527
Recognition and treatment of acute complications 529 Future directions 530 Conclusion 531 References 531
Pleural procedures are frequently performed by a wide range of physicians to diagnose and manage pleural disease. e commonly performed pleural procedures include diagnostic and therapeutic aspiration of uid or air, and chest drain insertion for drainage of uid or air. An estimated 178,000 thoracenteses are performed in patients with pleural eusion each year in the United States alone.1 Iatrogenic complications are common despite being generally underreported, frequently severe, occasionally fatal, and oen preventable.2
