The invention relates to devices and to methods for thoracic drainage for a patient having an air fistula. According to the invention, a vacuum is produced in the pleural cavity of the patient by means of a suction device. In order to adjust the vacuum on the basis of objective criteria, a suitable size measure for the air fistula is determined and the vacuum produced by the suction device is controlled according to said size measure. In particular, the invention relates to an adaptive algorithm having the following steps: (a) determining a first value of a size measure for the air fistula (step 33); (b) changing the vacuum by a first difference value (step 36); (c) determining a second value of the size measure after a first waiting period (step 38); (d) changing the vacuum by a second difference value having the opposite sign if the second measure is greater than the first measure (step 40); (e) repeating steps (a) to (d) after a second waiting period.
