Thoracentesis collection bottle shortage

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  1. This is a discussion on Thoracentesis collection bottle shortage in Critical Care Nursing ... The hospital where I work is experiencing a shortage in the evacuated glass thoracentesis...

    by Jan 18
    The hospital where I work is experiencing a shortage in the evacuated glass thoracentesis collection bottles. What I have heard is that the company that makes them was shut down by the FDA or something to that extent. Working in the ICU this issue became quite frustrating when I was helping a doctor do a bedside thoracentesis and we only had 1 bottle on the entire unit (we needed more than one).

    My question is, has anyone else out there noticed this particular shortage? If so, how is the hospital you work for bridging the gap? I have to think there is more than one company out there that makes these bottles, but that was the impression I was given. There is the collection bag that comes with the thoracentesis tray, but what if you need to collect more fluid than even it will allow?
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    by bwadds Jan 18 1:06 pm
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  3. 13 Comments so far...

  4. Jan 18 by
    Quote from bwadds
    The hospital where I work is experiencing a shortage in the evacuated glass thoracentesis collection bottles. What I have heard is that the company that makes them was shut down by the FDA or something to that extent. Working in the ICU this issue became quite frustrating when I was helping a doctor do a bedside thoracentesis and we only had 1 bottle on the entire unit (we needed more than one).

    My question is, has anyone else out there noticed this particular shortage? If so, how is the hospital you work for bridging the gap? I have to think there is more than one company out there that makes these bottles, but that was the impression I was given. There is the collection bag that comes with the thoracentesis tray, but what if you need to collect more fluid than even it will allow?
    We have the same issue!!! We are currently making do with the MD using the bag and expressing it manually, which does take a bit longer than with bottles. We have SOME bottles in the surgeons office and in the ICU, but the floors have been using the bags and sterile containers for collection.
  5. Jan 19 by
    Forgive my ignorance since I work peds but can they place a chest tube? If our kiddos have pleural effusions compromising their respiratory/cardiac status a doc will place a pigtail chest tube.
  6. Jan 20 by
    If the pleural effusions were recurrent enough to warrant a pleural tube they would probably consider a VATS procedure which uses a sclerosing agent that adheres to the area with effusion, making it highly unlikely to ever have another effusion in that area. Pleural effusions can be common postop CABG and sometimes people are tapped once or twice in the hospital, but inserting a chest tube just for that reason could bring more complications
  7. Jan 20 by
    Quote from Kara RN BSN
    If the pleural effusions were recurrent enough to warrant a pleural tube they would probably consider a VATS procedure which uses a sclerosing agent that adheres to the area with effusion, making it highly unlikely to ever have another effusion in that area. Pleural effusions can be common postop CABG and sometimes people are tapped once or twice in the hospital, but inserting a chest tube just for that reason could bring more complications
    Thanks for that info. I guess in my patient population we mostly deal with chylous effusions, which tend to be persistent so chest tubes are warranted.
  8. Jan 20 by
    Oooh yes ive only ever read about those! What else do you do for them?
  9. Jan 21 by
    Quote from Kara RN BSN
    Oooh yes ive only ever read about those! What else do you do for them?
    Sigh. I hate that question. What can you do for them? Mostly we try to wait it out, see if it will resolve on its own which can take weeks to months. You can change to a no-fat diet, for babies that includes a special formula. You can make the patient completely NPO on TPN and hope that it doesn't return when you re-initiate feeds a week or two later. In severe cases (ie the patient has been inpatient for months and had every conservative treatment done with no resolution) surgical options are considered such as thoracic duct ligation.

    It's very frustrating though because for the most part you really are just waiting it out
  10. Feb 14 by
    Arrgh! I am the list owner of various online support groups for thousands with polycythemia vera and related diseases. We rely on these bottles for ongoing periodic phlebotomies. I guess we will now be reverted to the old days, blood collection bags with humongous 15 ga needles attached.
  11. Apr 22 by
    BBRAUN has a non-glass alternative. Asept 600cc and 1000cc evacuated drainage bottles.
  12. Apr 22 by
    Our bottles are back! Does anyone else have them back too?