Question

A client with a chest tube attached to a water sealed drainage system has had 400 mL of drainage over the last 8 hours. After morning care the client was repositioned and the chest tube drainage has been 0 ml for the last 2 hours. What action would the PN take at this time?

Answer 1

The PN should assess the patient and the chest tube system for any obstructions, ensure the clinical signs are stable, and then consult with a physician if no obvious cause is identified.

Step-by-step explanation:

A client with a chest tube and no drainage over 2 hours after repositioning could indicate a possible obstruction in the chest tube, that the lung has re-expanded, or that drainage is no longer accumulating at the current time. The first step the Practical Nurse (PN) should take is to assess the client, ensuring monitoring of clinical signs like respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and auscultation of breath sounds. Following this, the PN should inspect the chest tube and drainage system for kinks, clots, or other obstructions. If there is no apparent cause, consulting with a physician is warranted to evaluate the need for further diagnostic work, such as a chest x-ray, to assess lung expansion and ruling out any complications.