Table 3.

Results for chest tube tip cultures and postoperative infections after chest tube removal

Chest tube tip cultures	Postoperative infection (n = 18)	No postoperative infection (n = 166)	Postoperative infections
			SSI (n = 4)	Pneumonia (n = 14)	Empyema (n = 0)
Positive	6	27	3	3	0
Negative	12	139	1	11	0

The table results in the following estimates of accuracy for prediction of postoperative infections occurring after chest tube removal using a chest tube tip culture: sensitivity 33%, specificity 84%, positive predictive value 18% and negative predictive value 92%

SSI, Surgical site infection