Baseline patient characteristics
| Control group n=82 | Drain group n=45 | p Value* | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 63.63±13.85 | 67.2±11.67 | 0.193 |
| Male (%) | 64.6 | 60 | 0.701 |
| APACHE II score | 14.9±4.28 | 15.62±5.39 | 0.411 |
| Length of AICU stay (days) | 10.94±14.59 | 24.58±26.98 | <0.0001 |
| Mortality 6 months after surgery n=(%) | 6 (7.69) | 6 (13.33) | 0.344 |
| Coronary artery bypass graft n=(%) | 26 (32) | 16 (36) | 0.696 |
| Valve(s) replaced or repaired n=(%) | 43 (56) | 23 (51) | 0.991 |
| Other cardiac surgery n=(%) | 13 (12) | 6 (13) | 0.799 |
| Days from operation to drain insertion | NA | 13.98±11.59 | – |
| Left-sided effusion (%) | NA | 32/52 (61.5) | – |
| Mean total volume of pleural fluid drained (mL) | NA | 1180±634 | – |
| Mean volume of pleural fluid drained in first 24 h following drain insertion (mL) | NA | 991±510 | – |
Data displayed as mean±SD of N observations.
*Determined by unpaired Student t test.
AICU, adult intensive care unit; APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; NA, not available.