A chest tube is a thin, plastic tube that a doctor inserts into the pleural space, which is the area between the chest wall and the lungs. Doctors may need to use a chest tube for many purposes, such ...

Chest tubes are placed in neonates to evacuate either air (pneumothorax) or fluid (effusion, hemothorax, and empyema) from the pleural or mediastinal space, allowing reexpansion of the lung and ...

Chest tube placement, or tube thoracostomy, is routinely performed by intensive care physicians, surgeons, interventional radiologists and emergency room physicians to drain fluid, blood or gas in the ...

Pneumothorax is a medical emergency: the collection of air in the pleural space separating the lung from the chest wall, causing it to collapse and resulting in suffocation. Pneumothorax is caused by ...