Suction Versus Water Seal for Initial Treatment of Traumatic Pneumothorax Trial (SEAL IT)

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Pneumothorax; Trauma

Treatments: Procedure: Initial suction; Procedure: Inital water seal

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06688734

241132

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare the effect of placing chest tubes to water seal versus suction initially, in patients with traumatic pneumothoraces, on overall chest tube duration.

The main question it aims to answer is:

• Does placing chest tubes to water seal initially results in a shorter chest tube duration, without an increase in complications?

Alternating each month, patients' chest tubes will either be placed to water seal or to suction initially. All other management decisions related to the chest tube will be left to the providers.

Enrollment: 150 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• admitted to the trauma surgery service
• pneumothorax requiring a chest tube

Exclusion criteria

• less than 18 years olf
• pregnant
• prisoner
• greater than 300cc of hemothorax on CT
• chest tube placed prior to CT scan

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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150 participants in 2 patient groups

Initial Water Seal

Experimental group

Description:

After chest tube placement, the chest tube will be placed to 20cm H2O of suction for 1 minute to evacuate all pneumothorax. After this, the chest tube will be placed to water seal, defined as the water seal chamber on the chest tube drainage system being filled up to the 2cm line and not on suction. All other management decisions related to the chest tube will be left to the providers.

Treatment:

Procedure: Inital water seal

Initial Suction

Experimental group

Description:

After chest tube placement, the suction group will have their chest tube placed to 20cm H2O of suction delivered by the chest tube drainage suction. All other management decisions related to the chest tube will be left to the providers.

Treatment:

Procedure: Initial suction