Association of chest tube position with phrenic nerve palsy after neonatal and infant cardiac surgery

Commentary: Avoiding the danger zone

“…Any contribution that can lead to a decrease in the number of children having diaphragm paralysis is noteworthy. The current review by Ghani and colleagues 2 clearly shows an association of chest tube position with phrenic nerve injury. Placement of a Blake drain (ie, chest tube) in the right superior pleural space with the chest tube then wedged against the pericardium led to a 4-fold increase in the odds of right diaphragm paralysis.…”