The New Buzz on Chest Tube Dressings??

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Hello all! I was called old school today by a nurse because I was going to use a petrolatum dressing around chest tube insertion site. I was told that was out and now a dry gauze with large op site (or just tape) works just as well. I was always taught the other way, but I am open for better care, so I was wondering - what is everyone else doing?

Thanks & God Bless - Gary

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Nursing Education.

i was taught in my hospital orientation class to use the dry guaze. now, if the tube falls out i would still think that the petroleum guaze would still need to be used to cover the wound....

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Hello all! I was called old school today by a nurse because I was going to use a petrolatum dressing around chest tube insertion site. I was told that was out and now a dry gauze with large op site (or just tape) works just as well. I was always taught the other way, but I am open for better care, so I was wondering - what is everyone else doing?

Thanks & God Bless - Gary

Our Policy & Procedure manuel still calls for using an occlusive petroleum jelly gauze dressing. We have been doing this for as long as I have been in nursing 18 years and as of yet nothing has changed.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I always tape a pair of clamps and a Vaseline-impregnated gauze (forget the name of it--could it be Adaptic?) to the wall next to the patient. Our hospital policy calls for this with any CT.

I'm completely anal about this because as a student, I had a patient step on and dislodge her CT.

I tape the heck out of all the connections. If my patient has a CT with suction, I tape the collection unit to the floor (since the patient is bedbound anyway).

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

We still use adaptic or other vaseline impregnated dressing over the insertion site. Havent ever seen just dry dressing at this point.

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Specializes in Telemetry, ICU, Resource Pool, Dialysis.

At my last job, we used a tube of vaseline around the site covered with dry dressing. At my current job, vaseline is never used. Go figure.

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I'm a new grad and it was reinforced to me just last month to use the petroleum impregnanted gauze.

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at my hospital its surgeon specific. we have one who chooses petroleum gause with 4x4 and tape. Another wants us to sqeeze the incision tight and tape with transpore tape. He says it works the same as an occlusive dressing and is cheaper and more comfortable. Haven't had any trouble with pneumos so i guess he's right! :chuckle

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