Chest drainage

Chest drainage
An emergency chest drainage set used by emergency doctors in Austria
Specialty	Cardiothoracic surgery
[edit on Wikidata]

Chest drains are surgical drains placed within the pleural space to facilitate removal of unwanted substances (air, blood, fluid, etc.) in order to preserve respiratory functions and hemodynamic stability. Some chest drains may utilize a flutter valve to prevent retrograde flow, but those that do not have physical valves employ a water trap seal design, often aided by continuous suction from a wall suction or a portable vacuum pump.

The active maintenance of an intrapleural negative pressure via chest drains builds the basis of chest drain management, as an intrapleural pressure lower than the surrounding atmosphere allows easier lung expansion and thus better alveolar ventilation and gas exchange.