RESUMEN
Trauma is the most common cause of death, admission and disability in all age groups ranging between 1-40 years. The present study was conducted to survey the frequency of chest trauma [blunt and penetrating] in Air Force Hospital in a two-year period, 2002-2004. A retrospective study was conducted at Surgery and Emergency departments of Air Force hospital on all consecutive [blunt and penetrating] chest trauma patients treated between March 2002 and March 2004. Totally, 814 cases referred with chief complain of chest trauma. Blunt chest trauma was reported in 78.1% of cases [636 patients] and penetrating chest trauma in the remaining 21.9% [178 patients]. Totally, 84.7% were males and 76.4% aged 14-40 years. The most common site of injury was chest wall [90.3%] and soft tissue injury was the most prevalent form of trauma [31.6%]. Extremities were the most common site of co-injury [13.3%]. Car accident was by far the most frequent cause of trauma [57.9%]. The mortality rate was 3.8% [31 patients] .Car accident was the most common cause of chest trauma. Meanwhile, soft tissue injury was the most frequent type of injury