Patent ID: 6849061

Claim:
An apparatus for evacuating material from a body cavity in a patient's chest, comprising: an elongated tubular member constructed and arranged to be inserted through an aperture in the patient's chest, said tubular member being generally L-shaped and having a distal section and a proximal section, said distal section including a plurality of openings for receiving material from within the body cavity, and said proximal section receives and discharges the material to a receiver, said proximal section including an expandable cuff for positioning said distal section of said tubular member in the body cavity of the patient's chest for preventing said plurality of holes or perforations from being obstructed in whole or in part, wherein said tubular member is generally L-shaped when said expandable cuff is not expanded, and said tubular member is sufficiently rigid to maintain said distal section in a desired non-obstructing position within the body cavity when the cuff is expanded.