Postoperative drainage of pleural cavity is currently a common component of treatment of patients with surgical diseases of thoracic organs. Peculiarities of suctioning (aspiration parameters, passive drainage or active aspiration, the degree of discharge in the device-pleural cavity system, as well as the possibility of early patient activation, no need to «attach» him to the electric stationary suction) remain topical and continue to be discussed. New devices — aspirators, including mobile ones with digital control and rarefaction control component, appear in the market.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Between May and September 2021, 65 patients aged from 23 to 88 years with various oncological and non-oncological diseases of the thoracic cavity followed by drainage underwent resection operations with a volume less than pneumonectomy or lung decortication for empyema, parietal pleurectomy for recurrent pneumothorax. Six patients (4 after pneumonectomy and one with postoperative complications (1 after retoracotomy for hemothorax and 1 after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute destructive cholecystitis in the immediate postoperative period) were excluded from the study. The patients were divided into 2 groups. The first group consisted of 22 patients in whom in the early postoperative period we used continuous active pleural content aspiration with the help of high-tech mobile devices Atmos. The second group included 37 patients in whom we used drainage by means of medical suction of Lavrinovich or Visma-Planar design (Belarus).

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Soft drainage by modern systems of pleural cavity content evacuation provides the best conditions for stopping air leakage from the lung tissue as well as for preventing pneumothorax when transporting a patient from the operating room and around the clinic for examination. The early activation of the patient with the connected mobile digital aspirator not only promotes the Fast-track surgery concept but also the ERAS program, i.e. accelerated rehabilitation, as recommended by the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS). These designs also have advantages over stationary devices, such as subjective factors based on the relative ease of operation of mobile systems in their use, accessibility not only for medical staff, but also for the patient himself.