CHEST TUBE THORACOSTOMY

[AVS44]

My dad underwent chest tube thoracostomory 3 days ago, and since then they had taken 3 liters of liquid from his lungs, and it is not completely drained yet.  

His doctors said that this volume is not normal, is that right?? What is the normal volume then?  

Another concern was that there  is blood that comes out with the liquid, and his doctor said that it could mean that my father has cancer.  Is this correct?

Please, if anyone can give advise or opinion on the matter, it will be a great help.

Thanks,
A

[National Jewish Health]

Normally there is no drainable fluid in the chest.  Any accumulation of fluid in the chest is abnormal.  There is no normal volume.   There are many causes of an accumulation and there is not a good correlation between the amount of fluid and the significance or severity of the disease that caused it.

Blood in the withdrawn fluid may originate in the fluid or may have been caused by insertion of the needle or catheter (usually in relatively small amounts.  When blood is present in large amounts, it is almost always the former and an indicator of serious disease such as cancer, TB, rupture of a large blood vessel, from rupture (through the diaphragm) of an abdominal organ or disease (rare) or blood clots to the lungs.  It is safe to say that there are almost no benign causes of large, bloody pleural effusions.

There are now many laboratory tests to be performed on pleural fluid, including examination for malignant cells, and careful consideration of all these test results can often lead to a specific diagnosis.  If not already the case, you should request consultation with a lung specialist (pulmonologist) who can further direct the diagnostic evaluation.

Good luck