A regional survey of chest drains: evidence-based practice?

Although the use of chest drains is common in medicine, there appear to be wide variations in practice. A survey was therefore conducted to establish the current status of chest drain management in the Northwest region. A que stionnaire targeted consultants practising in the specialties of chest medi cine, general surgery, accident & emergency and cardiothoracic surgery. The questionnaire consisted of five sections encompassing aspects of the inser tion, day-to-day care and removal of chest drains. With an overall response rate of 75.3% (110/146), important variations in every major aspect of the practice of chest drains were found between the specialties and to a large extent within each specialty. We have made a number of recommendations whi ch aim to encourage good practice and reduce unnecessary complications, inc luding the adoption of standardised protocols for inserting and managing ch est drains.