Chest Drain Regular Flushing in Complicated Parapneumonic Effusions and Empyemas

ID#: NCT06427538

Age: 18 years - 66+

Gender: All

Healthy Subjects: No

Study Phase: N/A

Recruitment Status: Recruiting

Start Date: June 21, 2024

End Date: October 30, 2025

Contact Information:
Samira Shojaee, MD, MPH
615-322-2386
Jennifer Duke, MD
615-322-2386
Summary: Infections of the pleural space are common, and patients require antibiotics and chest drain placement to evacuate the chest from the infected fluid. Chest drains can get blocked by the drainage fluid and material. For this reason, it is thought that flushing the chest drain with saline solution, can help maintain the patency of the tube. This proposed study will evaluate the impact of regular chest drain flushing on the length of time to chest tube removal and total hospitalization as well as improvement in chest imaging and the need for additional interventions on the infected space.
Eligibility:

Inclusion Criteria:

- Patients with complicated parapneumonic pleural effusion and empyema requiring chest tube placement as standard of care for inpatient management of their pleural space infection with or without intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator and deoxyribonuclease therapy

- Age > 18 years old.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Patients who have surgical tubes that can't accommodate a three-way stopcock.

- Study subject has any disease or condition that interferes with the safe completion of the study.

- Inability to provide informed consent.

- Inability to undergo a chest X-ray.

- If the managing clinician believes the chest tube will be placed for less than 24 hours.

- Patients with an indwelling pleural catheter (IPC)
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