From Jan. 1985 to Sep. 1989, four hundred and ten patients were admitted to the department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine with a diagnosis of nonpenetrating chest trauma. The most common cause of injury were motor vehicle accidents(75.1%) with the prevalent age group being their forties. The four most common findings were rib fracture(83.4%), hemothorax(50.7%), pneumothorax(24.6%) and clavicle fracture(12.0%), Fifty piratory insufficiency and the ventilation time was correlated with 6 fators : 1) shock 2) endotracheal intubation or tracheostomy 3) hemothorax 4) clavicle fracture 5) flail chest 6) more than three combined injuries or combined head injury. Ventilatory care was also related with mortality and complications such as pneumonia sepsis and empyema thoracis(p<0.05). The most common organism of post-traumatic infection were Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus.