[Effects of pleural drainage using central venous catheter and simple aspiration in treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax: a clinical comparative study].

Objective: To compare the curative effects and expenses of pleural drainage by using central venous catheter and of simple aspiration by thoracentesis in treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax.

Methods: 46 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax were randomly divided into 2 equal groups: Group A, treated with pleural drainage by using central venous catheter, and Group B, treated with simple aspiration by thoracentesis. The curative rate and average residual volume after treatment were used to evaluate the curative effects. The average hospitalization days, duration of treatment, and expenses for medical materials were used to evaluate as the economic index.

Results: (1) The effective rates were 100% and 91.30% in Groups A and B respectively. (2) The average residual volume of pneumothorax at the time of discharge from hospital of Group A was 4.17%, significantly lower than that of Group B (18.62%, P < 0.05). (3) The average residual volume of pneumothorax 1 week after discharge of Group A was 0.53%, significantly lower than that of Group B (7.59%, P < 0.01). (4) The expense for medical materials of Group A was 264.79 Yuan RMB, a little bit more than that of Group B (233.62 Yuan RMB). (5) The hospitalization time of Group A was 5.32 days, significantly shorter than that of Group B (7.68 days, P < 0.05). The duration of treatment with antibiotics of Group A was 3.46 days, significantly shorter than that of Group B (5.59 days, P < 0.05). The time of oxygen inhalation of Group A was 86.4 hours, significantly shorter than that of Group B (133.1 hours, P < 0.01).

Conclusion: With higher curative effect and lower expenses, pleural drainage by using central venous catheter is superior to simple aspiration in treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax, and can be the first choice.