Analysis of incidence and treatment of pneumothorax in five-year period in Kragujevac

Introduction. Pneumothorax is a common clinical problem in thoracic surgery. Leading professional associations have adopted a number of guidelines and recommendations for the treatment of pneumothorax, but their clinical use is often insufficient. This study was aimed at analyzing the incidence of pneumothorax, profile of patients and surgical treatment of pneumothorax at the Clinical Center Kragujevac, in a five-year period. Material an methods. This retrospective, non-interventional study used data collected from the medical records and operative protocol of the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Clinical Centre Kragujevac in a fiveyear period. All data were statistically analyzed. Results. In the observed period, 492 patients with diagnosis of pneumothorax were hospitalized. The majority of patients were treated in 2009 (140), and the fewest in 2005 (68). Four-fifths of patients were male. Primary spontaneous pneumothorax was found in 25% and traumatic pneumothorax in 50%. Most patients were aged 21-30 years (83). The number of cases of secondary spontaneous and traumatic pneumothorax increased with the age of patients and the number of cases of primary and recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax decreased with their age. Drainage as a method of treatment was prevalent in all types of pneumothorax (p < 0.01). Conclusion. The results of study show similarities with other studies regarding both the incidence of certain forms of pneumothorax and the gender-age profile of patients and their treatment, taking into account the observed period and the target population.