Digital Versus Analog Pleural Drainage Following Pulmonary Resection

Digital Versus Analog Pleural Drainage Following Pulmonary Resection

This study will evaluate the impact of continuous, digital pulmonary air leak monitoring on the duration of pleural drainage after lung resection in patients with and without a pulmonary air leak on postoperative day 1.

Patients undergoing pulmonary resection who fit the inclusion criteria will be identified pre-operatively. Patients within two groups (air leak and no air leak) will be randomized to receive either the analogue system or the digital system. Both systems are approved for use in hospitals by Health Canada. There will be 88 patients in each air leak group.

Hypothesis: Continuous, quantitative monitoring of PAL following lung resection leads to an improvement in primary outcomes.

Inclusion Criteria:

Elective pulmonary resection (i.e. wedge, segmentectomy, lobectomy, bilobectomy) for benign or neoplastic disease

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Development of tension pneumothorax
2. Pneumonectomy
3. Patient no longer within planned randomization window
4. Plan to remove or removal of all chest drains within 36 hours of surgery
5. Inability to provide informed consent
6. Age < 18 years
7. Patient was previously randomized following pulmonary resection