Prevalence of Complications in Chest Drain Insertion in the Emergency Department

Abstract

Aim
Intercostal chest drains (ICDs) are commonly inserted in the Emergency Department (ED) with the reported complication rate between 20-40%. This study aims to better understand the process of the ED inserted ICD and to differentiate between immediate and delayed onset complications.

Methods
This was a prospective, multicentre observational study examining the current practice of ICD insertion in the ED. This study, co-ordinated by the Irish Trainee Research Network (ITERN) recruited ten EDs and collected data between May 2022 and February 2023.

Results
A total of 107 patients were recruited resulting in 130 ICD insertions. 88 ICDs (82.2%) were successfully inserted on first attempt. The immediate complication rate was 34.6% (37 patients ) and the delayed onset complication rate was 41.1% (44 patients). The complication rate found in this study is high when compared to that found in other studies.

Discussion
This study should inform consent procedures and identifies areas for practice improvement to improve patient outcomes.