There is a little gadget that you inhale through and it indicates your lung capacity. The chest tubes. With all the cutting, snipping, and sewing of blood vessels, there is some normal leakage of blood and fluids into the chest area above the diaphragm. These tubes drained into little bottles on the floor - visually they could see if there was excessive internal bleeding. I am informed it is time to remove the chest tubes.
Most patients feel only minor discomfort.
This is probably a true statement for most patients, however. All of my ribs spasmed simultaneously and I was only able to breathe in shallow gasps - they had to slap the oxygen nose tubes on me. For at least three or four hours I was unable to move. A pulmonary specialist was brought in. At 3 or 4 Thursday morning they came in to weigh me.