FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE

Shorter hospital stays; stronger finances

Pleuratech’s KatGuide contributes to safe and accurate chest tube insertion and higher success rates in chest drain surgeries. This in turn, can shorten the length of hospital stays and save hospitals significant associated costs.

A study of 71 patients undertaking VATS for primary spontaneous pneumothorax revealed that a significantly shorter hospital stay was experienced in patients with a well-placed chest tube (upper medial pleural space) compared to other locations2.

The mean postoperative hospital stay was 5.1 +/- 1.9 days for patients with well-placed chest tubes compared to 8.4 +/-4.3 days for patients with chest tubes in other locations (p < 0.0001).

Shorter stays translate into financial benefits

A shorter hospital stay not only reduces the discomfort for the patient, it also offers financial benefits. When one considers that the average cost of a hospital stay is several hundreds of dollars a day, the advantages are clear.

Moreover – in case of malpositioning, chest tubes must frequently be removed and replaced with a new chest tube in additional surgical procedures. This means pain and discomfort for the patient and further financial drawbacks.

2) Chen F et al. Position of a chest tube at video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax. Respiration. 2006;73(3):329-33.