Chest tubes: Flashcards
What are some conditions that would need a chestube?
Pnuemothorax: Air in plueral space (collapsed lung)
Hemothorax: Blood in the plueral space, may or may not occur in conjunction with a pnuemothorax
How would you want to position your patient who has a pneumothorax?
Lay on good side
protect their respiratory angel dont squash the remaining air out of the bad lung- lay patient on their good side
How would you position your patient who has a hemothorax?
position on bad side
protect their innocent healthy lung, lay on bad lunch and squash the bloody little devil
what should the nurse never do when draining a chest tube?
never strip a chest tube: milk or clamp a chest tube without a physicians order
* make sure there is no kinks in the tubing
what finding do we need to report to the health care provider?
if the chestube fills up to 100cc’s or greater in an hour
where should the chestube be in the patients room?
lower than chest level, on the end of the bed.