Patent ID: 8439893

Claim:
A drainage system for draining a body cavity, comprising: a source of vacuum being at a level of at least 300 mm Hg; and a tube having a first and a second end, said first end adapted to be inserted into the body cavity and being effectively closed, and a tube wall, a plurality of holes formed into said tube wall in an area of said tube that is intended to be inserted into the body cavity, a second end of said tube being adapted for connecting to said source of vacuum, said holes being of a size and quantity such that a suction force from any of said holes is insufficient to cause any significant injury to body tissue proximate a hole, while efficiently draining fluid from body cavity, wherein said tube is of a small caliber, and wherein a largest hole is approximately circular in diameter with an effective diameter no greater than about one half of an internal diameter of said tube in the region of said holes, and wherein said effective diameter is between about 0.5 mm and about 1 mm.