Blake tube removal post CABG

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After CABG a patient has 2 medialstinal cehst tubes and one blake tube laying along the pleural space. The doctors or their PA's remove the chest tubes the morning after surgery and attach the Blake to a J-P blulb for another 1-2 days.

The doctors have asked that the staff remove the Blake tube because "it's not a chest tube" it is just a drain.

What happens where you work? What are your thoughts? Should we or shouldn't we remove the Blake tube?:uhoh21: [email protected]:imbar

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All of our medistinal/pleural chest tubes are pulled the day after surgery, pending complications of course.

Personally I feel the surgeons are the ones who know hands on where everything is in the chest If they want you to pull it I would. The big concern with chest tubes is the chance of pulling a graft out with the tube, this seems moot with instance of the blake in the pleural space.

Take into consideration the experience you have, your fellow staffs experience, surgeon, and the nursing policy.

I feel I would pull the tube. I only have 2 years experience with CABG patients, but feel confident co workers and facility, should SHTF. No I have never pulled p pleural tube.

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We pull all chest tubes unless there has been a specific order for one of the SA's to pull them. When I was orienting on days I had a chance to pull many chest tubes but now I'm on nights and we pull the Swan but usually chest tubes aren't ordered to be pulled till after morning rounds. Usually they keep them in until the 2nd post op day. Since it's been a while since I've pulled them I would have someone with me- I occasionally float to our ICU and the nurses don't pull the CT's there- I think the volume of CT's that we have in the CTICU is what made them decide that nurses should D/C them.

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Specializes in CCU (Coronary Care); Clinical Research.

We can pull the mediastinal chest tubes but anything pleural, even blake tubes, are pulled by the surgeon or PA. We typically keep our CT in unitl the second post op day--but may be moving to the first post op day for uncomplicated cases...

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can anybody tell me y blake tube removal doesnt need tying of suture.?what are the chances of pneumothorox on removing blake tubes than regular chest tubes

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