Medela research thoracic drainage

Cardiothoracic Drainage Research and Clinical Information

Latest research findings

Modern chest drainage systems by Medela have been the focus of a number of research studies. 

Use the filter below selecting the topics of your interest. 

Hospital costs
Length of hospital stay (LOS)
Rate of complications
Predicting outcomes and pathways
Air leak duration
Duration of chest tube placement
Patient satisfaction
Ease of use
Enhancing mobilisation
Standarization of chest drainage management
Clinical decision-making
Thoracic paediatric


Year Publication [Author, Journal, Year]
2019 Engelman DT et al.; May 4, 2019. Guidelines for Perioperative Care in Cardiac Surgery. ERAS Society Recommendations.
2019 Batchelor T et al.; European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Volume 55, Issue 1, January 2019; Guidelines for enhanced recovery after lung surgery: recommendations of the ERAS® Society and the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS).
2015 Gilbert S et al.; J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2015 Nov;150(5):1243-9. Randomized trial of digital versus analog pleural drainage in patients with or without a pulmonary air leak after lung resection.
2017 Yeung C et al.; Forecasting pulmonary air leak duration following lung surgery using transpleural airflow data from a digital pleural drainage device
2016 Sihoe AD et al.; Innovations (Phila). 2016 May-Jun;11(3):179-86. Adherence to a Clinical Pathway for Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery: Predictors and Clinical Importance.
2016 Bakhos C et al.; JSLS. 2016 Jul-Sep;20(3). Management of Prolonged Pulmonary Air Leaks With Endobronchial Valve Placement
2016 Shiroyama T et al.; Intern Med. 2016;55(6):663-5. Effective Management of Persistent Pneumothorax Using a Thopaz® Digital Drainage System Combined with an Endobronchial Watanabe Spigot.
2014 Tsim S et al.; Respir Med Case Rep. 2014 Dec 16;14:27-9.Rescue therapy using an endobronchial valve and digital air leak monitoring in Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis.
2016 Shoji F et al.; Ann Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2016 Dec 20;22(6):354-358. Clinical Evaluation and Outcomes of Digital Chest Drainage after Lung Resection.
2016 Costa AD et al.; J Bras Pneumol. 2016 Nov-Dec;42(6):444-446. An initial experience with a digital drainage system during the postoperative period of pediatric thoracic surgery.
2016 Drahush N et al.; Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Jun;101(6):2097-101. Standardized Approach to Prolonged Air Leak Reduction After Pulmonary Resection.
2016 Mesa-Guzman M et al.; J Thorac Dis. 2015 Nov;7(11):2053-7. Determining optimal fluid and air leak cut off values for chest drain management in general thoracic surgery.
2016 George RS et al.; J Thorac Dis. 2016 Feb;8(Suppl 1):S55-64. Advances in chest drain management in thoracic disease.
2016 Refai M et al.; J Thorac Dis. 2016 Feb;8(Suppl 1):S23-8. Clinical pathway for thoracic surgery in an Italian centre.
2016 Wei B et al.; J Thorac Dis. 2016 Feb;8(Suppl 1):S29-36. Clinical pathway for thoracic surgery in the United States.
2015 Brocki BC et al.; Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2016 May;49(5):1483-91. Postoperative inspiratory muscle training in addition to breathing exercises and early mobilization improves oxygenation in high-risk patients after lung cancer surgery: a randomized contro
2016 Khan AZ et al.; J Thorac Dis. 2016 Feb;8(Suppl 1):S84-92. From 200 BC to 2015 AD: an integration of robotic surgery and Ayurveda/Yoga.
2016 Sihoe AD et al.; Ann Cardiothorac Surg. 2016 Mar;5(2):133-44, Uniportal video-assisted thoracic (VATS) lobectomy.
2015 Cafarotti S et al.; Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2015 Oct;19(20):3850-4, Extra-anatomical VATS lung resection: the outpatient experience with the aid of a digital chest drain device.
2016 Miller DL et al.;Ann Thorac Surg. 2016 Sep;102(3):955-61. doi: 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2016.03.089. Epub 2016 May 25.Digital Drainage System Reduces Hospitalization After Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery Lung Resection.
2016 Pompili C et al.; Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2016 Apr;49(4):1091-4. Recurrent air leak soon after pulmonary lobectomy: an analysis based on an electronic airflow evaluation.
2016 Pompili C et al.; Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2016 Apr;49(4):1127-31. Regulated drainage reduces the incidence of recurrence after uniportal VATS bullectomy for primary spontaneous pneumothorax: a propensity case matched comparison versus unregulated drainage
2015 Southey D et al.; Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann. 2015 Sep;23(7):832-8. Discharge of thoracic patients on portable digital suction: Is it cost-effective?
2015 Chavarín A et al.; Surgical Science, 2015, 6, 352-357. The Role of Ultrasound and Air Leak Measurement in Assessing Lung Expansion after Thoracic Surgery.
2015 McGuire AL et al.; Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2015 Oct;21(4):403-7. Digital versus analogue pleural drainage phase 1: prospective evaluation of interobserver reliability in the assessment of pulmonary air leaks.
2015 Lijkendijk M et al.; Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2015 Dec;48(6):893-8. Electronic versus traditional chest tube drainage following lobectomy: a randomized trial
2014 Pompili C et al.; Ann Thorac Surg. 2014 Aug;98(2):490-6; discussion 496-7. Multicenter international randomized comparison of objective and subjective outcomes between electronic and traditional chest drainage systems.
2014 Jablonski S et al.; Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014 Sep;62(6):509-15 Efficacy assessment of the drainage with permanent airflow measurement in the treatment of pneumothorax with air leak.
2013 Brunelli A et al.; Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2013 May;43(5):899-904. Regulated tailored suction vs regulated seal: a prospective randomized trial on air leak duration.
2013 Marjanski T et al.; Thoracic Surgery 2013. The implementation of a digital chest drainage system significantly reduces complication rates after lobectomy– a randomized clinical trial.
2013 Leo F et al.; Ann Thorac Surg. 2013 Oct;96(4):1234-9. Does the external Pleural suction Reduce Prolonged Air Leak After lung Resection? Result from the AirINTTrial After 500 Randomized cases.
2013 Boshuizen RC et al.; J Bronchology Interv Pulmonol. 2013 Jul;20(3):200-5 Pleural pressure swing and lung expansion after malignant pleural effusion drainage.
2012 Boshuizen RC et al.; J Bronchology Interv Pulmonol. 2013 Jul;20(3):200-5 Pleural pressure swing and lung expansion after malignant pleural effusion drainage.
2012 Jenkins WS et al.; BMJ Case Rep. 2012 Jun 8;2012. The use of a portable digital thoracic suction Thopaz drainage system for the management of a persistent spontaneous secondary pneumothorax in a patient with underlying interstitial lung disease.
2012 Danitsch D; Nurs Times. 2012 Mar 13-19;108(11):16-7 Benefits of digital thoracic drainage systems
2012 Refai M et al.; Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2012 Apr;41(4):831-3 The values of intrapleural pressure before the removal of chest tube in non-complicated pulmonary lobectomies.
2011 Rathinam S et al.; J Cardiothorac Surg. 2011 Apr 21;6:59. Thopaz portable suction systems in thoracic Surgery: An end user assessment and feedback in a tertiary unit.
2011 Pompili C et al.; Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2011 Nov;13(5):490-3. Impact of the learning curve in the use of a novel electronic chest drainage system after pulmonary lobectomy: a case-matched analysis on the duration of chest tube usage.
2010 Mier JM et al.; CIR ESP. 2010;87(6):385–389. The benefits of digital air leak assessment after pulmonary resection: Prospective and comparative study.
2010 Cerfolio RJ et al.;Thorac Surg Clin. 2010 Aug;20(3):413-20. Digital and smart chest drainage systems to monitor air leaks: the birth of new era?
2010 Cerfolio RJ et al.; Multimed Man Cardiothorac Surg. 2009 Jan 1;2009(409):mmcts.2007.003129. The quantification of postoperative air leaks.

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