I would have asked this question in the "Ask a Nurse" section but could not see a way to post it. So I'm asking here.
Hello, My mother has pleural effusion, a condition in which fluid builds up in the space between the lung and the chest wall.
My mother had an intercostal drain inserted that I had to drain every three days, now every seven days. At first we drained 1.5L, then 900ml, then 500ml, etc. The last two attempts have produced approximately 0–10 ml of frothy straw-coloured fluid; a recent ultrasound scan shows lots of bubbles instead. I think the nurse called it occulated.
Why would the ultrasound scan show that the pleural effusion has become occulated (lots of bubbles)? It reminds me of bubbles in a bubble bath, which makes draining the fluid impossible.
At first, the fluid was red (presumably because of the surgical procedure); now, after months of draining, we can see a small amount of frothy straw-coloured fluid in the tube, but when using the rocket chest drain kit, the fluid does not flow into the (vacuumed) bottle.
I've followed all the steps that I was trained to do before taking mum home (I am an experienced ex-healthcare assistant with NVQ level 3) I've even followed the problem-solving procedure, which made no difference, so it must be something to do with the fluid being occulated.
Why would the ultrasound scan show that the fluid has become occulated (bubbled)?
