The management of chest tubes after pulmonary lobectomy—driven by dogma or by science?

The management of chest-tubes after lobectomy varies widely, with differing practices between centers and even between physicians practicing within the same center. It is one of those areas in thoracic surgery that has largely been driven by experiences during training, and to a greater extent by surgical dogma rather than based on the results of randomized trials. In 2011 the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS), American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and General Thoracic Surgical Club (GTSC) published a consensus paper addressing some of the inconsistencies regarding the management of chest-tubes (1). However, rather than providing evidence-based statements, the task force involved in that effort, provided a standardized set of definitions and nomenclature to help future investigators and clinicians in this area