Indwelling Pleural Catheter
Home / Dr. Kushal Chidgupkar
Interventional Pulmonology
- Fiberoptic & Rigid Bronchoscopy
- Endobronchial Ultrasound (EBUS) Guided FNAB & Staging
- Medical Thoracoscopy (Pleuroscopy)
- Endobronchial Stenting & Other Endobronchial Interventions
- Indwelling Pleural Catheter
- Tube Thoracostomy
- Intra-Pleural Fibrinolytic Therapy (IPFT)
- Chemical and Mechanical Pleurodesis
- Thoracentesis
- Trans Thoracic Biopsy (CT scan Guided Or USG Guided)
Indwelling Pleural Catheter
This is a specially designed small tube to drain the fluid around the lungs smoothly with minimal pain. It is used in patients developing recurrent pleural effusions due to underlying diseases like malignancies, chronic liver failure, chronic kidney disease etc. Such patients will need repeated thoracentesis (drainage of pleural fluid) to treat their respiratory distress. Repeated thoracentesis has it’s own complications like pneumothorax (collapsed lung due to air around the lung), empyena (pus in pleural space), Hemothorax (blood in pleural space), loculated pleural effusion, etc.
To avoid the need for repeated thoracentesis, the Indwelling Pleural Catheter can be inserted in the pleural space. It is a small tube which is soft, flexible and is about the size of a pencil in diameter. The tube is inserted in the pleural space though the chest wall under strict aseptic precautions and local anaesthesia. A tunnel is made in the chest wall which holds the tube and prevents accidental removal of the tube. This procedure can be done on a day care basis.
One end of the tube remains inside the chest and the other end stays outside the skin. A one-way valve at the outside end prevents fluid from leaking out of the tube and air from going into the pleural space. One can perform periodic drainage of pleural fluid by attaching the outside end of tube to a specialised chamber. This can be performed by the patient himself or by a nurse.
Once the fluid is drained, the end of tube at the skin is cleaned. Then the external part of the tube is coiled and fixed on the chest wall with the help of a small dressing. This helps the patient to ambulate and do his day-to-day activities freely.