CCRN Nursing Exam Prep - Adult Critical Care

Answer - D - Sanguineous drainage of greater than 100 mL/hr in the client who is in the immediate postoperative period following a thoracotomy indicates hemorrhage. The physician should be notified immediately. Normal chest tube drainage should be less than 100 mL/hr. A pneumothorax occurs when there is air between the visceral and the parietal pleura, which causes compression of the lung and results in acute respiratory distress. Chyle drainage is a milky color that results from disruption of the lymphatic drainage system.