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Background: It was aimed to retrospectively examine the data of patients who underwent catheter thoracostomy to determine their demographic and clinical characteristics and to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedure. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 613 catheter thoracostomy procedures performed at the Health Practice and Research Center between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017. Results: Five hundred and sixty-seven (92.5%) were unilateral and 46 (7.5%) were bilateral catheter thoracostomy. Three hundred and seventy-seven (61.5%) procedures were performed on male patients and 236 (38.5%) procedures were performed on female patients. The mean age was 68 ± 16 (13-105 years old). The operation indications were 202 (33%) thoracic malignancies, 98 (16%) extrathoracic malignancies, and benign pathologies in 313 (51%) patients. Conclusions: Catheter thoracostomy procedure is being used more and more every day in the treatment of pleural effusions due to patient comfort, ease of application and low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, we wanted to draw attention to the spontaneous pneumomediastinum which rarely seen and to share our experiences. Materials and Methods: Between April 2016 - April 2018, we retrospectively evaluated 12 patients who were hospitalized and treated with SPM diagnosis at Health Practice and Research Center. Results: Of the 12 patients with spontaneous pneumomediastinum, 9 (75%) were male and 3 (25%) were female. Patients had a mean age of 30.5 years (range 15-42 years), 2 patients admitted to the emergency service with swelling and dyspnea complaints, 1 patient with cough and vomiting, 1 patient with cough and chest pain, 3 patients with dyspnea and chest pain, 3 patients with sore throat and chest pain, 2 patients with swelling in the neck after the tooth extraction. 6 (50%) of the patients had a smoking history. Conclusions: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a disease that is seen rarely in emergencies and should be treated. Sometimes life-threatening complications may develop. Other disorders in differential diagnosis should be eliminated in spontaneous pneumomediastinum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]