Chest drain flushing for lung infections
Part of Infections, Lungs & breathing clinical trials.
This study tests whether regularly flushing the chest tube with a small amount of liquid helps prevent blockages in people who have a severe lung infection that spreads to the chest cavity. If you need a chest tube for this type of infection, you may be able to join.
Summary written for real people, not researchers, by Clin2.
Who can take part
- You are 18 years or older.
- You have a lung infection that has spread to the space around your lungs, and you need a chest tube to drain fluid (this is called a complicated parapneumonic effusion or empyema).
- Your chest tube is the type that can connect to a three-way stopcock (a small device that helps control fluid flow).
- Your doctor expects the chest tube to stay in place for at least 24 hours.
- You do not already have a permanent chest catheter (a tube that stays in long-term).
- You are able to give your consent and have a chest X-ray.
Quick eligibility check
Answer a few plain-language questions, based on this study's own requirements, to get a preliminary sense of fit.
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