Thoracic catheter placement is an everyday event in the work of a surgeon, whether general or thoracic, which we often see as a simple procedure, so the responsibility for placement lies with the resident of lesser degree, minimizing the fact that the placement of a chest probe is an invasive procedure into a cavity of vital importance and that the error leads to a series of events that harm the patient.These complications range from dysfunctional placement without injury to intra-thoracic structures, to catastrophic injuries such as bronchial, vascular, hepatic and splenic lesions that lead to the need for surgical treatments that the patient did not initially require, increasing morbidity and mortality.Hospitals where surgical residents are trained should be mindful of this reality and consider changing practices to avoid these problems.It is for this reason that we present the experience in complications when placing a thoracic catheter in a trauma reference center in our country. INTRODUCCIÓNLa colocación de sonda torácica (ST) es un procedimiento antiguo descrito desde tiempos de Hipócrates que ha evolucionado de la mano de las artes quirúrgicas, siendo el principio básico el mismo, debe ser dominado por el médico general, ya que las especialidades quirúrgicas Rev Mex Cir Torac Gen. 2020; 1(1); 23-26 Marcos-Ramírez ER y cols.Sonda torácica, complicaciones en colocación y manejo por residentes de cirugía general