Importance

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Abstract

A chest drainage device is provided for draining fluid from a chest cavity. The drainage device has three chambers; a collection chamber, a liquid seal chamber, and a pressure regulating manometer chamber. The pressure regulating chamber includes a first column which has its upper end adapted to be open to communicate with the atmosphere, and a second column, which has a substantially larger cross-sectional area than the first column. A passage connects the bottom ends of the first and second columns to each other, so that the pressure regulating chamber is substantially U-shaped. In operation, air bubbles up through a body of liquid in the larger second column which produces a disturbing sound. The present invention provides a means for muffling this sound. The muffling means includes an elongated tube inside of and extending along the length of the first column of the pressure regulating chamber. This muffler tube serves to baffle the sound created by the bubbles which rise in the second, larger column of the pressure regulating chamber.

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First Claim