Chest Drain Regular Flushing in Complicated Parapneumonic Effusions and Empyemas
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorVanderbilt University Medical Center
About this trial
Infections of the pleural space are common, and patients require antibiotics and chest drain placement to evacuate the chest from the infected fluid. Chest drains can get blocked by the drainage fluid and material. For this reason, it is thought that flushing the chest drain with saline solution, can help maintain the patency of the tube. This proposed study will evaluate the impact of regular chest drain flushing on the length of time to chest tube removal and total hospitalization as well as improvement in chest imaging and the need for additional interventions on the infected space.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Patients with complicated parapneumonic pleural effusion and empyema requiring chest tube placement as standard of care for inpatient management of their pleural space infection with or without intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator and deoxyribonuclease therapy
Age > 18 years old.
Disqualifiers
Patients who have surgical tubes that can't accommodate a three-way stopcock.
Study subject has any disease or condition that interferes with the safe completion of the study.
Inability to provide informed consent.
Inability to undergo a chest X-ray.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Saline Flush
Treatment groups
96 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groupsSponsors and collaborators
Source ClinicalTrials.gov