Is it normal for the patient pressure float ball to fluctuate up and down (otherwise known as ‘tidaling’) near the bottom of the water seal column?
Yes. Once your patient’s air leak is resolved, you will generally observe moderate tidaling in the water seal column. Increases in intrathoracic pressure will cause the water level to rise (the ball rises) during patient inspiration and will lower or decrease (the ball drops) during patient expiration. This diagnostic tool will help to confirm patency of your patient’s catheter(s). Minor “bouncing” of the water seal level can also be caused by vigorous bubbling of the suction control chamber. To accurately assess patient catheter patency, momentarily occlude suction to stop the suction control chamber from bubbling and observe the water seal’s physiological response.
