Wasserschloss (medicine)
The term water lock occurs in medicine and nursing in combination with the terms thoracic or pleural drainage . In this context, the terms Bülaudrainage and Monaldidrainage are most frequently used; these are made up of “ Bülau ” (internist, Hamburg, 1875), “Monaldi” (pulmonologist, Rome, 1899) and “ Drainage ”, which z. B. can consist of a plastic tube. This plastic tube is drained into a container filled with water. The end of the hose is under water in the container. Together, this device is called the water lock principle.
function
One of the tasks of a chest drain is to remove air and / or fluid from the pleural space and at the same time to prevent air from getting back there. The air can escape from the pleural cavity through breathing or through suction , but the other way round it cannot get back into the pleural space through the water (lock) via the drainage.