Pardon My French.

Cama et al's review of pneumothorax management was excellent, especially their elegant depiction of chest tube diameter in comparison to the intercostal space, as measured in French gauge. The use of gauge is medicine is confusing due to differing systems and seemingly random increments. This diagram neatly shows that French gauge (Fr) is directly proportional to diameter, as the external diameter of the tube in millimetres is the gauge multiplied by three. For example, a 15 Fr chest tube has an external diameter of 5mm.