How long should you wait for a chest radiograph after placing a chest tube on water seal? A prospective study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal time interval for identifying a pneumothorax (PTX) on chest radiograph (CXR) after placing a chest tube on water seal.

Methods: One hundred nineteen chest tubes were placed on water seal according to a prospective, observational study protocol. After water seal, both an early (3.