The conventional system of pleural drainage currently in use in the treatment of pleural diseases and in the postoperative period following thoracic surgery is the same as that described by Kenyon in 1916. (1) This method consists
IntroductionAfter any surgical procedure involving the opening of the pleura, the thoracic cavity must be drained in order to facilitate adequate pulmonary reexpansion and allow the outflow of blood, fluids and air.Use of a one-way flutter valve drainage system in the postoperative period following lung resection* Objective: To evaluate pleural drainage using a one-way flutter valve following elective lung resection. Methods: This was a prospective study, with descriptive analysis, of 39 lung resections performed using a one-way flutter valve to achieve pleural drainage during the postoperative period. Patients less than 12 years of age were excluded, as were those submitted to pneumonectomy or emergency surgery, those who were considered lost to follow-up and those in whom water-seal drainage was used as the initial method of pleural drainage. Lung expansion, duration of the drainage, hospital stay and postoperative complications were noted. Results: A total of 36 patients were included and analyzed in this study. The mean duration of pleural drainage was 3.0 ± 1.6 days. At 30 days after the surgical procedure, chest X-ray results were considered normal for 34 patients (95.2%). Postoperative complications occurred in 8 patients (22.4%) and were related to the drainage system in 3 (8.4%) of those. Conclusions: The use of a one-way flutter valve following elective lung resection was effective, was well tolerated and presented a low rate of complications.