Elimination of Pleural Drainage following Pulmonary Wedge Resection in Children: A Multi-Institutional Randomized Controlled Non-Inferiority Trial of the Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium

What is the goal of the study?

There are over 500,000 thoracic surgeries performed annually in the United States. Placement of pleural drains (PD) after thoracic surgery in children is customary practice and historically considered essential to prevent serious post-operative such as pneumothorax of the need for chest tube reinsertion during the post-operative period. However, emerging adult studies have challenged this assumption. Evidence from randomized adult trials have demonstrated that placing a pleural drain is not compulsory and that pleural drain omission after thoracoscopic lung wedge resection, is safe. Evidence from these studies have informed a contemporary shift away from routine pleural drain placement. Despite this evolution in adult care, no such randomized controlled trial has evaluated the safety of feasibility of pleural drain omission in children undergoing similar thoracic surgeries. As a result, the majority of pediatric surgeons still leave post-operative pleural drains by default, exposing children to potential complications related to the drain?s placement. The proposed study directly addresses this gap in pediatric specific evidence by generating high-quality, prospective data to determine whether routine pleural drain placement is required in children undergoing thoracoscopic lung surgery.

Who can participate in the study?

Please contact the study team listed below to learn more.

Study Team:

• PI (Study Doctor): David Rothstein
• Study Team Member: Tressie Cox, [email protected]