ABSTRACT
Chest drains can remove any abnormal collection of fluid or air from thorax. As there are two main organs in the chest (the heart and lungs), chest drains are almost always used to treat problems with either of these organs. Cardiac drains are widely used following cardiac surgery, but this chapter describes chest drains used to treat pulmonary problems. Intrapleural chest drains, more often just called ‘chest drains’, are used to treat:
n pneumothorax n pleural effusions (see Chapter 18).
