The Negatives Use of Reinfusion Drains in the Surgical Setting - Research Paper Example

The Negatives Use of Reinfusion Drains in the Surgical Setting Reinfusion drains are plastic tubes which are flexible enough to be used for the removal of fluid, pus or air from the chest pleural space (Rockwood, 2009). They are inserted through the chest wall to the affected area to slowly remove the air, pus or fluid while keeping other organs intact and eliminating the need for surgery in the process (Park, 2010). The tubes are usually made from clear plastic materials like PVC. Soft silicone is also harnessed in this process due to its properties which include its lightness among others.

A chest drainage canister is attached to the other end of the tubes to provide an escape route for the fluid, pus or air from the place of accumulation. The whole process is meant to ensure that fluid or air only has a way out of the patient’s chest and not into it (Puri, 2009). This process has many life-threatening shortcomings that come with it though. The main negative dogging the process is infection of the parts that come into contact with the tubes. This can be due to using unsterilized tubes or getting infected instruments into the delicate internals of the patient.

There are also cases where patients had the pipes physically damaging the delicate internal parts during insertion or removal or from mechanical failure of the machines used in the process (Helms & Quan, 2006). Placing the tubes inferior to the pleural cavity has been found out to increase chances of damaging the spleen, liver or diaphragm. In the very unlucky cases, there have been injuries to the heart or other blood veins especially when the affected area occurs near the heart. The minor issues arising from the procedure include coughing especially after the removal of a large amount of liquid or air which creates a kind of vacuum in the chest cavity (Norton, 2008).

Shortness of breath is also a common occurrence usually accompanied by a feeling of anxiety after the procedure. Most pains go away after the tube is removed from the body and therefore should not worry the patient in any way. Care should be taken though that persistent pain is checked in the shortest time possible since there could be internal injuries. The minor complications are usually associated with the general process and common among all those who have undergone the process (DeWald, 2003).

The most important cautionary measure that medical practitioners undertaking this process need to take into consideration though is the prevention of clogging of the tubes during the fluid, pus or air removal (Atluri, 2006). This clogging is usually due to the formation of thrombus in the tube and has been found to cause many complications afterwards. Clogging of the tubes can cause the retention of blood in the cavity surrounding the heart and lungs leading to further complications. In the case that internal bleeding is not noted early, a lower cardiac and respiratory output is usually noted due to the blood collecting around these organs and, due to their sensitivity to external pressure, death can be the eventual result (Silberman, 2009).

Clogging has been known to be solved by the use of tubes of larger diameter even though it is not the best solution to this complexity. The whole process of using tubes, even though it saves the need for a surgical procedure, could lead to complications that cannot be easily discerned. References Atluri, P. (2006). The Surgical Review: An Integrated Basic and Clinical Science Study Guide. Chicago: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. DeWald, R. (2003). Spinal Deformities: The Comprehensive Text. New York: Thieme.

Helms, R & Quan, D. (2006). Textbook of Therapeutics: Drug and Disease Management. New York: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Park, K. (2010). Anesthesia and Perioperative Care for Aortic Surgery. Chicago: Springer. Puri, P. (2009). Pediatric Surgery: Diagnosis and Management. New York: Springer. Norton, J. (2008). Surgery: Basic Science and Clinical Evidence. New York: Springer. Rockwood, C. (2009). Rockwood and Matsens the Shoulder: Expert Consult. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences. Silberman, H. (2009). Principles and Practice of Surgical Oncology: Multidisciplinary Approach to Difficult Problems.

Chicago: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.