• Mohammed R Akhtar, William Ricketts, and Tim Fotheringham.
• Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.
• Clin Med (Lond). 2020 Jul 1; 20 (4): e60e61e60-e61.

AbstractPneumothoraces (1%) and pleural effusions (5%) are two of the less common complications of infection with COVID-19. Following a referral for a pleural drain insertion for a pneumothorax in a patient with COVID-19, we reassessed the infection risks involved in this procedure and its aftercare. Pleural drainage tubes attached to an underwater seal drain allow expulsion of aerosol and larger droplets via the vent from the bottle into the surrounding environment, potentially leading to infection of other patients and staff.Consequently, we chose to attach an antiviral filter to the venting port of an underwater seal drain bottle to mitigate this risk. A fluorescein dye experiment was used to demonstrate the reduction in aerosol emission output from the bottle with our described technique, allowing an antiviral filter to be attached to a pleural underwater seal drainage bottle for added protection of patients and staff in the local environment.© Royal College of Physicians 2020. All rights reserved.

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