An infant may need a chest tube for a variety of reasons, from premature birth and help with breathing to requiring the drainage of excess fluids in the lungs or the sac surrounding the heart. Infants who have undergone heart surgery in the hours after birth may also require a chest tube. Regardless of the reason for a chest tube, understanding how to care for an infant with a chest tube requires some effort and care. Understanding the basics will help parents be more confident in caring for these infants.
Step 1
Examine the area around the tubing often to help prevent potential infection. Make sure the area surrounding the chest tube is as clean and sterile as possible. The area surrounding the incision and chest tube should be covered and protected from the surrounding environment. Ensure that tubing is not kinked or otherwise bent, suggests MedTrng.com. If you notice leaking or bubbling within the chest tube, call your doctor or a nurse in the hospital immediately. After the infant is discharged from the hospital, the wounds and chest tube area may be uncovered to aid in the healing process.
Step 2
Lift your infant by placing one hand beneath her head and shoulders, the other beneath her buttocks, suggests the University of Michigan Health System's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital Congenital Heart Center. Don't lift an infant with a chest tube by clasping her under the arms and lifting, as this may cause her pain and dislodge the tube placement. You may hold your child on your lap or encourage her to breast feed or bottle feed, always taking care to provide adequate back and neck support. Don't place the infant on her stomach.
Step 3
Wash the incision every day with warm, soapy water and patted dry, suggests the University of Michigan Health System. Leave any type of adhesive tape such as medical Steri-strips or surgical tape on the skin until it falls off by itself. You can start giving your infant a tub bath or shower after the stitches have been removed or after about one week post-surgery. Make sure the bathing area and water are clean. A home health nurse may come to assess the infant, and offer additional guidance or instruction for bathing infants with chest tubes held in place with stitches.
