![]() The rubber sleeve is attached to the inlet nozzle in such a manner that, during inhalation, it closes off, thus preventing air to be sucked in, through the valve, to the pleural cavity ( Figure 1). It has two nozzles, the inlet nozzle which allows the air to pass in the valve through the chest drainage tube attached to it, and the outlet nozzle which allows the air to pass to the environment or a collecting device during expiration. The valve is made of a plastic case with a rubber sleeve inside. Soon, it became very popular in the outpatient management of patients with prolonged air-leakage from various causes ( 2), and has also been used in emergency treatment of pneumothorax in battle fronts ( 3).Īs already mentioned, it is a one-way valve, thus it prevents the evacuated air from travelling back to the thoracic cavity along the attached chest tube. The inventor of the valve was Henry Heimlich, an American thoracic surgeon who also first described the Heimlich maneuver. In the current mini review we will present the Heimlich valve system and method of insertion.įirst introduced in 1965, the Heimlich flutter valve is a one-way portable device that was designed for use as a drainage procedure in order to avoid the need for intrapleural suction after thoracotomy ( 1). The valve drains into a plastic bag that can be held at any level, allowing the patient undergoing chest drainage to be ambulatory simply by carrying the bag. This system functions in any position, and it does not ever need to be clamped, a regulated suction can be attached to it if necessary. Moreover the Heimlich valve system connects to chest tubing and allows fluid and air to pass in one direction only. This valve system has replaced the cumbersome underwater drainage bottle system. The Heimlich chest drainage valve was developed so that the process of draining the pleural cavity could be accomplished in a safe, relatively simple, and efficient manner. It can be used in many patients instead of a traditional water seal drainage system. Currently there are several systems in the market. The Heimlich valve is less than 13 cm (5 inches) long and facilitates patient ambulation. The Heimlich valve is a small one-way valve used for chest drainage that empties into a flexible collection device and prevents return of gases or fluids into the pleural space. ![]()
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