Devices and methods for managing chest or wound drainage

A chest tube removal system, comprising:

• a chest tube configured for insertion at least partially within a body of a subject;
• a drainage tube fluidly coupled with the chest tube;
• a reservoir fluidly coupled with the drainage tube;
• a pump in fluidly coupled with the reservoir;
• and
• a controller in communication with the reservoir, wherein the controller is configured to determine an air leak flow rate when air is evacuated from the body of the subject by the pump whereby the air leak flow rate is indicative of an air leak from the chest tube,
• wherein the controller is further configured to determine a readiness for chest tube removal from the body if two or more removal parameters are satisfied:
• (i) the air leak flow rate is above a first threshold air leak flow rate,
• (ii) an average of the air leak flow rate is maintained above a second threshold air leak flow rate over a period of time,
• (iii) the air leak flow rate is maintained below a maximum air leak flow rate over a second period of time,
• (iv) a measurement of a drainage volume output within the reservoir exceeds a threshold drainage volume over a drainage period of time.

A method for determining readiness for removal of a chest tube, comprising:

• evacuating air from a body of a subject via a pump in fluid communication with the reservoir, where the reservoir is fluidly coupled via a drainage tube to a chest tube inserted at least partially within a body of a subject;
• determining an air leak flow rate via a controller as the air is evacuated from the body of the subject where the air leak flow rate is indicative of an air leak from the chest tube;
• and
• determining via the controller an indication of readiness for chest tube removal from the body when two or more removal parameters are satisfied, where the removal parameters include:
• (i) the air leak flow rate is above a first threshold air leak flow rate,
• (ii) an average of the air leak flow rate is maintained above a second threshold air leak flow rate over a period of time,
• (iii) the air leak flow rate is maintained below a maximum air leak flow rate over a second period of time.