This is the 4767th article of Da Yi Xiao Nursing
Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) usually need to be placed with a chest tube and a chest bottle after surgery to drain the air and fluid in the pleural space, and at the same time to detect active bleeding in time. It usually takes about a week, during which our children will often ask the following questions to the nurse:
Q1: Does it hurt to leave the chest tube in the child's body?
The chest tube is usually placed into the child's body after the operation, when the child is under anesthesia and will not feel the slightest pain. When children wake up and see that they have tubes on their bodies, they will not feel very painful, because painkillers are used at this time. If the child feels that there is abnormal pain in the place where the chest tube is connected to the body, he must tell the nurse sister, and the nurse sister will work with the doctor to deal with the chest tube so that the chest tube does not cause pain.
Q2Why should the chest bottle be placed under the bed?
Because the pleural cavity of the human body is in a state of negative pressure, the gases and liquids accumulated in the pleural cavity can only be discharged through the airtightness and height difference of the chest bottle. When the fluid level in the bottle is lower than the height of 60 cm of the puncture plane of the thoracic catheter, it is just right to maintain effective drainage.
Q3Why do you put adhesive tape on your child's body and put a small clip on the bed?
This is a double fixation method, which can properly fix the chest tube and effectively prevent the lively and active child from pulling the drain due to turning over and moving.
Q4What should I do if the fluid in the chest tube cannot flow?
The nurse sister will regularly use vascular forceps to squeeze the chest catheter and squeeze the liquid in the tube into the chest tube bottle to keep the chest tube open. Children should never hit or squeeze the tube too hard.
Q5What color should the fluid in the chest tube be?
Normally, the fluid in the chest tube should be washed watery or clear-colored. If the child finds that the liquid suddenly turns bright red or has a blood clot, it means that there may be active bleeding, and the nurse must call the nurse sister immediately to deal with it.
Q6What should I do if my child wants to get out of bed?
If the child wants to get out of bed and move, the nurse will help him remove the chest catheter and fix the chest catheter. Children must also keep the position of the chest bottle lower than the knee during the activity, and keep it closed, and the swing range should not be too large.
Q7 How should the child cooperate with the doctor when the chest catheter is removed?
It is important to remember that when the doctor extubates, the child should inhale deeply and hold his breath to prevent the gas from sneaking into the body. Doctors will also apply a dressing to the wound where the chest catheter was removed.
Q8When can the threads on my child's skin be removed after the chest tube is removed?
The sutures can be removed 10 to 14 days after the chest tube is removed, but before the sutures are removed, the dressing on the wound needs to be replaced once every 3 to 4 days, and if you sweat a lot, it can be shortened to 1 to 2 days.
Author: Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Wu Ying, Xia Yuxian
Picture: Zhang Xinran
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