Safety and Infection ControlQuestion 1911 of 2368
Drainage moves slowly in a chest tube, and a coworker plans to squeeze the tubing quickly from the chest toward the chamber. What should the nurse do?
- Tell the coworker to strip the tubing while clamping the end
- Tell the coworker to strip the tubing only once per hour
- Tell the coworker to strip the tubing only if the client is upright
- Tell the coworker not to strip the tubing because it can cause a pneumothorax
Show answer
Correct answer: Tell the coworker not to strip the tubing because it can cause a pneumothorax
Stripping creates high pressures inside the tube that can cause a life-threatening pneumothorax.
Source: Nursing Advanced Skills (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2023), Manage Chest Tube Drainage Systems: Assessments and Interventions at the Start of Shift. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Practice the topic "Safety and Infection Control"Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026