Background : Chest trauma is the cause of one fourth of deaths in accidents, so its early diagnosis and proper management is important. The aim of this study was evaluation of various aspects of chest trauma in patients admitted to trauma centers in Isfahan.

Materials and Methods : One hundred patients with chest trauma referred to hospitals affiliated to Isfahan Medical University were enrolled to this cross sectional study. Data including age, sex, accident time, trauma mechanism, organ injury, hospitalization length, complications, and outcomes were all recorded and analyzed with Chi square and t- tests .

Results: Eighty percent of patients were male. The most common time of injury was between 12 PM and 1 AM (62%). Blunt trauma was the common type of injury. The most common age range was 21-30 years. The main complication of trauma was hemothorax (41%) and it was more common in penetrating injuries (45%). Hospitalization length was below 10 days in 47%, ten days in 12% and more than 10 days in 41% of patients. Associated head and abdominal injuries were found in 25% and 4% of patients, respectively. Death rate was 5%.

Conclusion : consideration on chest injury is recommended in any case of trauma especially in blunt injuries. Epidemiologic studies in other parts of Iran can help in establishing appropriate criteria for chest trauma diagnosis and management in our country.