Clinical Research Directory

Digital Chest Tube Drainage System (Thopaz+) Versus Analog in Pediatric Patients

In 2007 the Thopaz digital drainage system was launched as one of the first chest tube drainage systems to utilize a digital rather than analog device. The digital system allows for stored data, objective measurement of air leaks as well as maintaining a constant pleural pressure. The adult literature describes multiple benefits of using a digital drainage system, only two studies to date have looked at pediatric patients. In the adult literature, reported benefits include shorter chest tube drainage times, decreased length of stay, cost savings and fewer chest x-rays. To date, there have been no prospective randomized controlled trials comparing digital versus analog chest tube drainage systems in pediatric patients. In addition, the only two pediatric studies which looked at the potential benefits of a digital drainage system only looked at its use in patients who underwent pulmonary resection. Thus, a gap in the literature exists for a prospective trial determining if there is benefit to using a digital vs analog drainage system in pediatric patients requiring a chest tube. The investigators hypothesize that pediatric patients who are placed on the Thopaz+ digital drainage system will have decreased duration of chest tube drainage, fewer chest x-rays and shorter duration of air leaks compared to patients using a traditional analog chest tube drainage system. This will be the first prospective randomized study exploring the potential benefits of using a digital chest tube drainage system in pediatric patients.

Prolonged Hospital Stay After Thoracoscopic Anatomical Lung Resections

In this study, the reasons for prolonged hospital stay after thoracoscopic (video- or robot-assisted) anatomical lung resections are investigated. Currently, whenever possible, these anatomical lung resections are performed thoracoscopically, as they offer significant improvements in terms of postoperative pain, number of postoperative complications, rehabilitation, tolerance for adjuvant chemotherapy, and length of hospital stay. The development of an 'Enhanced Recovery After Surgery' (ERAS) protocol for lung surgery has further reduced hospital stay and the need for opioids for analgesia. Despite the optimal implementation of the ERAS protocol, there are still patients who need to stay in the hospital longer than the median. The aim of this research is to investigate the reasons for this.