Chest tube dressing care is repeatedly questioned, yet completely lacking in research for guidance.

General surgical site guidelines recommend protecting the incision with a sterile dressing for 24 to 48 hours. Caregivers are advised to perform proper hand hygiene, and then use an aseptic no-touch technique or full sterile technique for removing or changing dressings. Use sterile saline for wound cleansing for the first 48 hours post-op, avoid topical antimicrobial agents when wounds are healing by primary intention, and aggressively manage patients' postoperative glucose levels.^{[1] [2] [3]}