Efficacy of a novel steerable chest tube system in a swine model of hemothorax.

ABSTRACT: Thoracostomy tubes (chest tubes) are the standard of care for thoracic trauma, including hemothorax. However, traditional chest tubes are susceptible to occlusion and lack the ability to be repositioned once inserted. This can lead to further life-threatening issues, such as retained hemothorax. Here we describe the investigation of a novel steerable chest tube, the SAM repositionable chest tube (RCT), which is designed with two-axis manipulation for effective drainage of the pleural space while maintaining sterility. We hypothesized that the treatment of hemothorax with RCT would result in an increase of evacuated fluid from the pleural space and a decrease of residual clot compared to a traditional chest tube. Using a swine model of retained hemothorax developed by our laboratory, six ma

SUBMITTER: Engler MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12557651 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature