The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Expert Consensus Document on the Management of Pleural Drains After Pulmonary Lobectomy

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Evidence Based Surgery provides this document on management of pleural drains following pulmonary lobectomy. The goal of this consensus document is to provide guidance regarding pleural drains in five specific areas: 1) choice of drain including size, type, and number, 2) management including use of suction versus water seal and criteria for removal, 3) imaging recommendations including the use of daily and post-pull chest x-rays, 4) use of digital drainage systems and 5) management of prolonged air leak. To formulate the consensus statements a task force of 15 general thoracic surgeons were invited to review the existing literature on this topic. Consensus was obtained using a modified Delphi method consisting of two rounds of voting until 75% agreement on the statements was reached. A total of thirteen consensus statements are provided to encourage standardization and stimulate additional research in this important area.