chest tube question-please help

[sashann]

Suppose you had a patient, and you walked into the room during your shift and they were standing about, brushing their teeth or something, with their chest tube still in their chest but totally disconnected from the pleurovac system? You just hook it back into the pleurovac (given that is was still sterile?) I would call the physician, but what would your immediate interventions be?

This was a critical thinking question in my textbook, but the teacher never goes over them and now I'm curious. Thanks so much everyone:)

[laRN1]

Thanks Daytonite. I'll look at the magazine. Chest tubes are a subject that can be very intimidating to me.