Air is aspirated until the patient begins to cough or no further air is removed. The catheter is then removed. This option is entertained more in the United Kingdom than in the United States. If aspiration is attempted and is unsuccessful, a chest tube is inserted in the chest cavity with a simply surgical procedure. Chest tubes relieve the pressure inside the chest cavity so the lung can re-inflate with normal breathing.
Chest tubes allow for the lung to re-inflate immediately.
The tube is usually left in until the lung can remain inflated when suction is removed. If the lung collapses without suction and over 5-7 days have passed, most physicians seek other treatments. Like aspiration, chest tubes do not prevent recurrence. If the chest tube is not enough, pleurodesis may be performed. In simple terms, this is a sealing of the lung to the pleural cavity so that the lung cannot collapse.