In chest-tube care documentation, which findings are routinely recorded?

• A. Drainage color only.
• B. Presence or absence of an air leak and tidaling.
• C. Vital signs only.
• D. Dressing status only.

Answer: (B)

Chest-tube care documentation centers on how the drainage system is functioning and what that means for the lung. The two items routinely recorded are whether an air leak is present and whether tidaling occurs in the water-seal chamber. An air leak signals air is escaping from the pleural space or within the tubing, which helps assess the status of the pneumothorax and the integrity of the chest-tube system. Tidaling—the rise and fall of the fluid level in the water-seal chamber with breathing—indicates that air is moving through the system; its presence generally shows the pleural space is communicating with the tube and the lung may still be re-expanding. Absence of tidaling can mean the lung has re-expanded or the system is blocked, so documenting its presence or absence provides crucial information for ongoing management. While other details like drainage color, patient vitals, or dressing condition are important parts of overall care, they do not alone capture the functional status of the chest-tube drainage system in the same way.