Objective and Subjective Outcomes of an Electronic Chest Drainage System

This study is designed to compare the Thopaz chest tube drainage system to the traditional collection chamber system. The Thopaz system is already in clinical use in the United States and throughout the world. As such, this study is not evaluating safety or efficacy of this system both of which have already been demonstrated. This study's primary aim is to determine whether the use of a digital chest drainage system compared with a traditional system affects duration of chest drainage and length of hospital stay. Furthermore, we aim to determine whether the use of a digital chest drainage system compared with a traditional system increases the total distance of ambulation in the first 48 hours after thoracic surgery and affects overall patient satisfaction in the peri-operative period. Finally, we want to determine whether the aforementioned outcomes relative to the chest tube drainage systems differ in different parts of the world.