CoMiT-ED 2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Randomised trial of the clinical and cost effectiveness of small bore, Seldinger, versus large bore, surgical, chest drains for the treatment of traumatic haemo/pneumothoraces – (CoMiT-ED 2)
IRAS ID
348038
Contact name
Edward Carlton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 1 months, 30 days
Research summary
Injuries to the chest can cause air or blood to collect in the space between the lungs and the ribs. Doctors usually put in a tube to drain it, but we’re not sure if using a smaller tube or a bigger one is better. We will be comparing two treatments: one uses a small tube put in the chest with a needle and wire (called a small bore Seldinger chest drain), and the other uses a large tube put in by cutting a hole in the chest (called a large bore surgical chest drain). Doctors have treated these lung problems for many years using large bore surgical chest drains to re-inflate the lung or drain the blood. Every year, over 30,000 injured patients in the UK get this treatment in hospital, but large chest drains can cause serious problems like infection, bleeding, pain and scarring. Recent research shows that small chest drains put into the chest using a needle and wire could be a safer treatment option. We want to see if these small chest drains are safer and more effective than larger ones, and if they could cut down the NHS treatment costs. We hope to involve 1678 adult patients from around 50 hospitals in the UK. Patients with a collapsed lung or bleeding after injury and in need of a chest drain will be asked to take part in our study. Participants will be randomly chosen to get a small or large chest drain, but all will get the same care afterwards. Participants will be asked about their general health, wellbeing and if they have had any issues with breathing or pain at 30 days and six months. We will compare the two treatment groups to see which one works best for patients and makes better use of NHS resources.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
25/WA/0362
Date of REC Opinion
28 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion