Chest Drain

A chest drain is considered a common procedure. It takes around 60 to 90 minutes.

You’ll be given an injection of local anaesthetic so that you don’t feel any pain. 

Usually, you’ll be sitting upright with your arms out in front of you on a table, or lying on your side. Once the area is numb, your consultant will make a small cut in your chest and insert a drain (a narrow tube) into your pleural cavity. You may feel some pressure while the drain is inserted.

They’ll use an ultrasound scan – an imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the inside of your body – to make sure the drain is in the right place. The drain will allow the excess air or fluid to be removed from your pleural cavity. It’ll either be attached to a bottle or a suction unit on the wall.

Once the fluid or air has been drained, your consultant will gently remove the drain and seal the cut with a dressing. 

Before being sent home, your vital signs will be monitored, and you’ll be sent for a chest X-ray to make sure there’s been no damage to your lung tissue. 

Chest drain procedures are considered routine and safe. And most people find they can breathe much more easily during and after a chest drain.

However, as with medical procedures, there are some risks. These are rare and include:

• bleeding

• pneumothorax (collapsed lung)

• pain

• infection

Your consultant will give you instructions on how to prepare for your chest drain procedure. 

As you’ll be given a local anaesthetic, you may need to fast (stop drinking and/or eating) or stop taking certain medications for a short while beforehand.

You won’t be able to drive after having a local anaesthetic, so you’ll need to arrange for someone to collect you from our outpatient clinic.

After the procedure, you may experience some discomfort or pain around the cut. 

Our team will monitor your recovery and record the volume of fluid or air drained from your pleural cavity. You’ll be sent home once your vital signs are looking good and you feel ready to leave.

Depending on your situation, your consultant may send samples of the fluid to be analysed in a lab. They’ll let you know how and when you’ll have a follow-up appointment and discuss the cause and or ongoing management of your condition. You may need multiple chest drain procedures in order to remove all of the excess fluid or air. Your consultant will tell you whether this is the case.

For around 1 hour after your procedure, you may experience coughing as your lungs begin to expand. This is normal and should resolve on its own.

You’ll also usually be asked to avoid strenuous activity for 48 hours after your procedure.

Please contact our Lung Health centre for pricing information.

At Welbeck, our respiratory specialists are experts in their field and are dedicated to providing world-class care to every patient.

With access to colleagues across other specialties, our consultants are also able to refer within the Welbeck ecosystem if required to ensure you receive the treatment you need as quickly as possible, all under one roof.  

All appointments, testing, treatment, and follow-up appointments take place within our state-of-the-art facilities, enabling us to deliver accurate diagnostics and advanced treatments.

To book a chest drain, you must be referred by either your GP or a respiratory specialist following a consultation with them. Self-referrals are not accepted for this test.

If you would like to schedule a consultation with a respiratory specialist, please get in touch to make an appointment. Your health is important to us, so we strive to offer same-day appointments whenever possible.

Our consultants are recognised by the major health insurance companies. If you have private health insurance, your treatment at Welbeck can begin once you have obtained authorisation. We also provide care to self-paying patients. Learn more about the different payment options at Welbeck.