My friend is 18 years old (male) and a smoker of 2 years. last night, he got in a severe car accident where he was told that he had punctured his lung perhaps from a cracked rib. He had two more x-rays after that and found that the hole was growing and that the puncture collapsed. the puncture they said was very small from the beginning and i'm not 100% sure that it collapsed. now, they say they need to put in a chest tube in tomorrow. what in the world is the chest tube? how long is it in? is there any visible scars or any side effects to the tube?please help..
A chest tube is literally a plastic tube that is inserted into the chest. It is roughly as big around as a Sharpie marker. It will be inserted between the ribs, just below the armpit. It will drain air and fluid from the pleural cavity (space between the chest wall and lung), which will relieve pressure on the lung and allow it to re-inflate. There are complications that can occur, but they are rare. After the chest tube is removed, there will be a small scar on the chest that is a few inches long. Hope that helps, and I wish your friend a speedy recovery.
