What nursing intervention is essential prior to transporting a patient with a chest tube?

Maintaining the tubing open to air if portable suction is unavailable is critical prior to transporting a patient with a chest tube. This intervention ensures that the pleural space remains decompressed and prevents the risk of developing tension pneumothorax. If the suction is not available, allowing air to flow through the system prevents negative pressure that can impair lung expansion and disrupt the function of the chest tube. Open drainage facilitates proper management of pleural fluid or air, ensuring patient safety during transport.

Clamping the chest tube, while it might seem like a reasonable action during transport, can lead to serious complications, including the aforementioned tension pneumothorax. Increasing suction levels to maximum before transport is also not appropriate, as it could cause additional trauma to the lung tissue or disrupt the delicate balance required for effective drainage. Adjusting the patient’s position may assist with drainage, but it does not directly address safety during transport in the absence of suction. Therefore, maintaining the tubing open to air is the best nursing intervention in this scenario.