Chest Tube Placements for Pneumothorax

Since many of our patients are being treated for cancer, we see quite a few lung biopsies in our CT department. Sometimes this procedure will lead to a pneumothorax. A few weeks ago, we had a patient that came to us for a lung biopsy for a suspicious area in her left lung. The biopsy itself went well. However, the patient encountered a pneumothorax during or after the biopsy. This was found on her immediate chest xray that was taken right after her biopsy. It was a significant pneumo, so we set up for a chest tube placement.The chest tube was placed in the pleural space after the patient was injected with a local anesthetic. It was then attached to a syringe to provide suction to re-inflate the lung. The radiologist then sutured the chest tube to stay in place. Unfortunately, the chest tube dislodged, and a few hours later the patient had the procedure perfomed again. The chest tube stayed in for two days and was removed. The patient fully recovered.