IMPORTANCE Trauma care capacity assessments in developing countries have generated evidence to support advocacy, detailed baseline capabilities, and informed targeted interventions. However, serial assessments to determine the effect of capacity improvements or changes over time have rarely been performed. OBJECTIVE To compare the availability of trauma care resources in Ghana between 2004 an...

Atension pneumothorax is a life threatening condition in which there is a large rise in intrathoracic pressure on the side of the affected hemithorax. This condition may rapidly lead to death. Prompt treatment of the condition is required and most of the texts on the treatment of patients with this condition suggest that the pressure is released by the placement of a large bore trocar and cannu...

BACKGROUND In hospital practice, pleural aspiration (thoracocentesis) and chest drain insertion may be required in many different clinical settings for a variety of indications. Doctors in most specialities will be exposed to patients requiring pleural drainage and need to be aware of safe techniques. There have been many reports of the dangers of large-bore chest drains and it had been anticip...

BACKGROUND Despite importance of chest tube insertion in chest trauma, there is no general agreement on the level of daily volume drainage from chest tube. This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness and safety of chest tube removal at the levels of 150 ml/day and 200 ml/day. METHODS Eligible patients (138) who needed replacement of chest tube (because of trauma or malignancy) were ...

Southeast Asia is the major endemic area for paragonimiasis. Diagnosis relies on identification of ova in the sputum, pleural fluid or tissue specimen, or serology. Low awareness, however, frequently results in the disease being overlooked. We report nine cases presenting as primary, massive and protracted pleural effusions. All patients had evidence of Paragonimus spp. in the pleural fluid; on...

Pneumothorax as a complication of augmentation mammaplasty has rarely been reported in the literature. In this article, we describe a case of bilateral iatrogenic pneumothoraces following aesthetic breast augmentation surgery in a thin patient who was a heavy smoker. Symptoms appeared progressively on the second postoperative day. Clinical examination showed abnormal pulmonary ventilation of bo...

A case is described of extensive subcutaneous emphysema with rapid and life-threatening airway obstruction. The incident followed inadvertent removal of a chest drain in a patient with a persistent air leak from an iatrogenic pneumothorax. The pneumothorax had developed during pacemaker insertion.

Nurse-led clinics are an increasingly used resource in managing postoperative patients and meeting their clinical needs. Since 2007, St James' University Hospital has run a ward-based nurse-led clinic; providing follow-up and management of patients after thoracic surgery. We aimed to assess patient satisfaction with the clinic's ability to manage their postoperative needs. Data were collected p...