Chest trauma

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Chest trauma (or thoracic trauma) is an injury of the chest. Thoracic trauma is a common cause of significant disability and mortality. Thoracic injuries account for approximately 25% of all trauma-related deaths.

Contents 1 Classification 2 Specific chest injuries 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Classification

Chest trauma can be classified as blunt or penetrating. Blunt and penetrating injuries have different pathophysiologies and clinical courses. Most blunt injuries are managed with relatively simple interventions like intubation and mechanical ventilation and chest tube insertion. Diagnosis of blunt injuries may be more difficult and require additional investigations such as CT scanning. Penetrating injuries often require surgery, and complex investigations are usually not needed to come to a diagnosis. Patients with penetrating trauma may deteriorate rapidly, but also recover much faster than patients with blunt injury.

[edit] Specific chest injuries

• Chest wall contusion/hematoma
• Rib fractures
• Flail chest
• Pneumothorax
• Hemothorax
• Sternal fractures
• Fractures of the clavicle and shoulder girdle
• Pulmonary injury
• Thoracic aorta injury
• Diaphragm injury
• Tracheobronchial tear
• Esophageal injury

[edit] References

• Bliss D, Silen M (2002). "Pediatric thoracic trauma". Crit Care Med 30 (11 Suppl): S409-15. PMID 12528782.
• Feliciano DV, Rozycki GS (1999). "Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of thoracic trauma". Surg Clin North Am 79 (6): 1417-29. PMID 10625986.
• Golden PA (2000). "Thoracic trauma". Orthop Nurs 19 (5): 37-45; quiz 45-7. PMID 11153385.

[edit] External links

• Trauma.org: thoracic trauma