Figure 6.

Examples of what happens to the pressures and air leak in relation to suction. (A) Straightforward case with no air leak; (B) footage from DDS showing initial absence of air leak. Then air leak was evident on the footage for 18 hours (marked with arrowed bracket). The use of the traditional underwater seal would have led to early removal of the drain with possible clinical implications. After 26 hours of continuous recording, no air-leak was identified and the drain was removed. Thus, decisions of chest drain management rely on footage and not a snapshot. DDS, digital drain system.