SynthesisThe journal of trauma and acute care surgery2018
Complications in tube thoracostomy: Systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The journal of trauma and acute care surgery, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- Small versus large bore chest tube in traumatic hemothorax, hemopneumothorax, and pneumothorax: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with trial sequential analysis.World journal of emergency surgery : WJES · 2025Pooled it
- Helicopter emergency medical services use of thoracic point of care ultrasound for pneumothorax: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Comparison of a novel, endoscopic chest tube insertion technique versus the standard, open technique performed by novice users in a human cadaver model: a randomized, crossover, assessor-blinded study.Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine · 2018Trial
- Tube Thoracostomy Across Emergency Medicine, Thoracic Surgery, and Intensive Care Residents: A Three-Year Retrospective Analysis of Practice Patterns and Complications at a Tertiary University Hospital.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Incidence and predictors of complications of tube thoracostomy performed in the emergency department for non-traumatic pleural pathologies.Internal and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of an accelerated treatment protocol for traumatic haemothorax and pneumothorax: a prospective, multicentre observational study in South Africa.International journal of emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Development and Evaluation of a Low-Cost Phantom Model for Ultrasound-Guided Intercostal Chest Drain Insertion.Cureus · 2026Article
- Article
- Fast, accurate, and cost-effective: E-FAST's breakthrough in optimizing thoracic trauma management.Turkish journal of surgery · 2026Article
- Article
- Comparison of outcomes between thoracostomy and non-thoracostomy management in patients undergoing esophageal atresia surgery: a retrospective study in a tertiary care center (2018-2021).Journal of cardiothoracic surgery · 2026Article
- Percutaneous pigtail catheter versus chest tube for the treatment of pediatric traumatic hemothorax: An Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma multicenter study.The journal of trauma and acute care surgery · 2025Article
- Predicting the Need for Tube Thoracostomy in Blunt Trauma Patients With Occult Pneumothorax: Observation Versus Intervention.Interdisciplinary cardiovascular and thoracic surgery · 2025Article
- Intercostal Artery Screening with Color Doppler Thoracic Ultrasound in Pleural Procedures: A Potential Yet Underexplored Imaging Modality for Minimizing Iatrogenic Bleeding Risk in Interventional Pulmonology.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothorax.Radiology case reports · 2025Article
- [The NIPPLE trial-On the secure placement of chest drains or why men and women may sometimes be really equal : German Congress for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery (DKOU) Science Slam 2024].Unfallchirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- Finger thoracostomy: Significant risks and unproven benefits in prehospital settings.Transfusion · 2025Article
- Closed Tube Thoracostomy Morbidity Rate in a Philippine Tertiary Government Hospital: 6-Year Review.Acta medica Philippina · 2025Article
- Management of chest tube after thoracoscopic lung resection in children with congenital lung malformation: a multicenter retrospective study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- NIpple Position to Pinpoint Localization of Chest Drain Insertion in FEmale Trauma Patients: The NIPPLE-Trial-A Landmark Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTube thoracostomy (TT) complications and their reported rates are highly variable (1-40%) and inconsistently classified. Consistent TT complication classification must be applied to compare reported literature to standardize TT placement. We aim to determine the overall TT-related complication rates in patients receiving TT for traumatic indications using uniform definitions.
methodsSystematic review and meta-analysis was performed assessing TT-related complications. Comprehensive search of several databases (1975-2015) was conducted. We included studies that reported on bedside TT insertion (≥22 Fr) in trauma patients. Data were abstracted from eligible articles by independent reviewers with discrepancies reconciled by a third. Analyses were based on complication category subtypes: insertional, positional, removal, infection/immunologic/education, and malfunction.
resultsDatabase search resulted in 478 studies; after applying criteria 29 studies were analyzed representing 4,981 TTs. Injury mechanisms included blunt 60% (49-71), stab 27% (17-34), and gunshot 13% (7.8-10). Overall, median complication rate was 19% (95% confidence interval, 14-24.3). Complication subtypes included insertional (15.3%), positional (53.1%), removal (16.2%), infection/immunologic (14.8%), and malfunction (0.6%). Complication rates did not change significantly over time for insertional, immunologic, or removal p = 0.8. Over time, there was a decrease in infectious TT-related complications as well as an increase in positional TT complications.
conclusionGeneration of evidence-based approaches to improve TT insertion outcomes is difficult because a variety of complication classifications has been used. This meta-analysis of complications after TT insertion in trauma patients suggests that complications have not changed over time remaining stable at 19% over the past three decades. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Systematic review and meta-analysis, level III.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.