When do I change a chest tube canister?

When to Change the Chest Tube Canister

Change the canister in any of these circumstances:

  1. The fluid level reaches 750cc in any column
  2. It has tipped over and column levels are uneven (see example below)
  3. Cracked
  4. Fluid in blue chamber has turned a different color

When to change the canister 1

When to change the canister 5

In these two examples, measurements are not accurate, and may lead to incorrect management of the chest tube and patient.

When in doubt, change it out.