Final answer:
A thoracotomy is a surgical incision into the chest wall to access thoracic organs, while a chest tube is inserted to remove air or fluid from the pleural space. A chest tube may be used after a thoracotomy but it is not 'bundled into' the procedure itself.
Step-by-step explanation:
It appears that there might be a slight misunderstanding in the original question. A chest tube may be placed during a thoracotomy but they are not synonymous. A thoracotomy is a surgical procedure where an incision is made into the chest wall to gain access to the thoracic organs, such as the lungs or heart. On the other hand, a chest tube is a flexible plastic tube that is inserted through the chest wall and into the pleural space to remove air, fluid, or pus. The purpose of the chest tube is often to re-expand a collapsed lung or remove fluid from around the lungs following surgery or trauma. When a thoracotomy is performed, a chest tube might be inserted to assist with healing and prevent complications, but it's a separate component of the overall surgical approach, not something that is 'bundled into' the thoracotomy itself.