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Malpositioned chest tubes and their indications; an experience from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Abstract
Background: Placement of a chest tube drain is the commonest procedure performed, especially in an emergency setting to evacuate fluid, blood, and air from the pleural cavity. Even if it is a simple procedure, it is associated with tube malposition and related complications, which sometimes may lead to death. So, This study analyses malpositioned chest tubes as seen on Computerized tomography (CT) scans.
Method : This is a retrospective record review of CT images of patients who have a diagnosis of malpositioned chest tubes.
Results: Most of the indications for chest tube placement were done for pleural fluid drain and pneumothorax. The retrospective CT analysis showed most of the chest tubes inserted were for the wrong diagnosis. Most malpositioned chest tubes were located in the normal or diseased lung. Intra-abdominal tube malpositions were seen in the spleen, liver, and retroperitoneum.
Conclusion: Chest tube insertion without proper indication may result in a malpositioned drainage tube . Abnormal tube positions may also cause injury to intrathoracic or intra-abdominal organs.
