Novel, digital, chest drainage system in cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND: A new, self‐contained, digital, continuous pump‐driven chest drainage system is compared in a randomized control trial to a traditional wall‐suction system in cardiac surgery. METHODS: One hundred and twenty adult elective cardiac patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft and/or valve surgery were randomized to the study or control group. Both groups had similar pre/intra‐operative demographics: age 67.8 vs 67.0 years, Euroscore 2.3 vs 2.2, and body surface area 1.92 vs 1.91 m(2). Additionally, a satisfaction assessment score (0‐10) was performed by 52 staff members. RESULTS: Given homogenous intra‐operative variables, total chest‐tube drainage was comparable among groups (566 vs 640 mL; ns), but the study group showed more efficient fluid collection during the early postoperative phase due to continuous suction (P = .01). Blood, cell saver transfusions and postoperative hemoglobin values were similar in both groups. The study group experienced drain removal after 29.8 vs 38.4 hours in the control group (ns). Seven crossovers from the Study to the Control group were registered but no patient had drain‐related complications. The Personnel Satisfaction Assessment scored above 5 for all questions asked. CONCLUSIONS: The new, digital, chest drainage system showed better early drainage of the chest cavity and was as reliable as conventional systems. Quicker drain removal might impact on intensive care unit (ICU) stay and reduce costs. Additional advantages are portable size, battery operation, patient mobility, noiseless function, digital indications and alarms. The satisfaction assessment of the new system by the staff revealed a higher score when compared to the traditional wall suction chest drainage system.