Background: Evidence supporting using pleural venting over traditional intercostal chest drains for managing spontaneous pneumothorax is limited. Therefore, this study aimed to compare using pleural vents and intercostal tubes in managing spontaneous pneumothorax.
Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 61 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax were randomly assigned to two groups. Group I included patients initially managed via intercostal chest tubes (n= 31), and Group II included patients with a pleural vent as the initial management (n= 30). The study outcomes were pain score; the need for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) or narcotics; wound infections; pleural effusion; the duration of treatment; the need for surgery; and patient satisfaction and recurrence of pneumothorax at 1, 3, and 6 months after discharge.