A randomized controlled trial: Comparison of 14 and 24 French thoracic drainage after minimally invasive lobectomy – MZ 14-24 study

Thoracic surgery is becoming more and more minimally invasive. One of the remaining unresolved problems is postoperative pain, with the intercostal drain being one of the main contributing factors. Previous data from other studies suggest that the use of small-bore drains can reduce pain and speed up recovery without an increase in drain-related complications. However, no studies have been conducted on patients undergoing anatomic lung resections to date. The initial step in transitioning from larger to smaller drains is to establish the safety of this approach, which is the primary objective of this trial.Trial registration: The study has been registered in the German Clinical Trials Register.Registration number: DRKS00029982.URL: https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00029982.