CHEST TUBE INSERTION
A variety of clinicians, such as surgeons, physicians, advance practice nurses (eg, nurse practitioners), and physician assistants, may insert chest tubes. The correct method of inserting a chest tube and appropriate aftercare may shorten the patient’s duration of hospitalization.
Typically, a single chest tube is inserted. To drain blood, pus, or lymph from the pleural cavity, the chest tube is inserted at a slightly lower intercostals space (eg, sixth or seventh). To drain air from the pleural cavity, the chest tube may be inserted at a higher intercostal space (eg, second). Sometimes, however, two tubes are inserted: one at a lower intercostals space to drain blood or pus and another at
a higher intercostal space to resolve a pneumothorax.
After cleansing the patient’s skin, the clinician infiltrates the patient’s skin and chest wall with local anesthetic. A common site of insertion, the “safe triangle,” is framed by the anterior border of the latissimus dorsi, the lateral border of the pectoralis major muscle, and a line superior to the horizontal level of the nipple and an apex below the axilla. In this space, the likelihood of damaging any vital structure during insertion is very low. The diaphragm can rise to the fifth rib at the nipple level
during expiration, and, thus, chest tubes should be placed above this level to avoid inadvertently damaging abdominal structures. For a large hemothorax with a lot of pleural fluid, the posterior axillary line may be chosen at the seventh or eighth intercostals space. It is relatively safe to insert the tube at a lower space because the large amount of fluid displaces the diaphragm away. Current UK National
Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) alert guidelines suggest that inserting chest tubes under ultrasound guidance decreases the risk of complications.