Home > Encyclopedia of Surgery > Chest Tube Insertion

Definition

A chest tube insertion is a procedure to place a flexible, hollow drainage tube into the chest in order to remove an abnormal collection of air or fluid from the pleural space (located between the inner and outer lining of the lung).

Purpose

Chest tube insertions are usually performed as an emergency procedure. Chest tubes are used to treat conditions that can cause the lung to collapse, which occurs because blood or air in the pleural space can hamper the ability of a patient to breath.

There are four common conditions than can require surgical chest tube insertion, including:

• pneumothorax (air leak from the lung into the chest)
• hemothorax (bleeding into the chest)
• empyema (lung abscess or pus in the chest)
• pneumothorax or...