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Review
. 2017 Apr;9(Suppl 3):S172-S177.
doi: 10.21037/jtd.2017.03.52.

Management of chest trauma

Corinna Ludwig  1 , Aris Koryllos  2
Affiliations
Review

Management of chest trauma

Corinna Ludwig et al. J Thorac Dis. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

Trauma is the leading cause of death worldwide. Approximately 2/3 of the patients have a chest trauma with varying severity from a simple rib fracture to penetrating injury of the heart or tracheobronchial disruption. Blunt chest trauma is most common with 90% incidence, of which less than 10% require surgical intervention of any kind. Mortality is second highest after head injury, which underlines the importance of initial management. Many of these deaths can be prevented by prompt diagnosis and treatment. What is the role of the thoracic surgeon in the management of chest trauma in severely injured patients? When should the thoracic surgeon be involved? Is there a place for minimal invasive surgery in the management of severely injured patients? With two case reports we would like to demonstrate how the very specific knowledge of thoracic surgeons could help in the care of trauma patients.

Keywords: Trauma; injury; thorax; video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Traumatic injury of the right side with a fail chest, lung contusion and bronchial injury (mediastinal air outside of bronchus).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Emergency room bronchoscopy showing bronchial injury.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bronchoscopic evaluation of bronchial healing 7 days after surgery.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Foreign body (CT scan recostruction).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Lesion of the upper lobe with pneumothorax.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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