Chest trauma

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Chest trauma Classification and external resources
A CT scan of a pneumothorax
eMedicine	med/2916

Chest trauma (or thoracic trauma) is a serious injury of the chest. Thoracic trauma is a common cause of significant disability and mortality, the leading cause of death from physical trauma after head and spinal cord injury.^[1] Blunt thoracic injuries are the primary or a contributing cause of about a quarter of all trauma-related deaths.^[1] The mortality rate is about 10%.^[2] Chest injuries were first described in detail in around 1600 BC in the ancient Egyptian Edwin Smith Papyrus.^[3]

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 may also recover much faster than patients with blunt injury.

[edit] Specific chest injuries

• Chest wall contusion/hematoma
• Rib fractures
• Flail chest
• Sternal fractures
• Fractures of the clavicle and shoulder girdle
• Pulmonary injury, such as pulmonary contusion or pulmonary laceration
• Pneumothorax
• Hemothorax
• Hemopneumothorax
• Tracheobronchial tear
• Pericardial tamponade
• Myocardial contusion
• Traumatic aortic rupture, thoracic aorta injury
• Esophageal injury
• Diaphragm injury

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Keough V, Pudelek B (2001). "Blunt chest trauma: Review of selected pulmonary injuries focusing on pulmonary contusion". AACN Clinical Issues 12 (2): 270–281. PMID 11759554. 
2. ^ Moloney JT, Fowler SJ, Chang W (February 2008). "Anesthetic management of thoracic trauma". Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology 21 (1): 41–46. doi:10.1097/ACO.0b013e3282f2aadc. PMID 18195608. 
3. ^ Miller DL, Mansour KA (2007). "Blunt traumatic lung injuries". Thoracic Surgery Clinics 17 (1): 57–61. doi:10.1016/j.thorsurg.2007.03.017. PMID 17650697. 

• Bliss D, Silen M (2002). "Pediatric thoracic trauma". Crit Care Med 30 (11 Suppl): S409–15. doi:10.1097/00003246-200211001-00005. PMID 12528782. 
• Feliciano DV, Rozycki GS (1999). "Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of thoracic trauma". Surg Clin North Am 79 (6): 1417–29. doi:10.1016/S0039-6109(05)70085-2. 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

v • d • e Injuries, other than fractures, dislocations, sprains and strains (S00-T14, 850-929) Head (head injury) and neck Black eye - Traumatic brain injury (Concussion, Diffuse axonal injury, Cerebral contusion, Epidural hematoma, Subdural hematoma, Subarachnoid hemorrhage) Thorax (chest trauma) Traumatic aortic rupture - pleural disease (Pneumothorax, Hemothorax, Hemopneumothorax) - Pulmonary contusion - Pulmonary laceration - Cardiac tamponade - Commotio cordis Abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine and pelvis Ruptured spleen Shoulder and upper arm Rotator cuff tear General Spinal cord injury - Brachial plexus lesion Abrasion - Blister - Bruise - Hematoma Wound - Bite

v • d • e Chest trauma Chest wall injuries and Fractures Rib fracture, Flail chest, Sternal fracture, Clavicle fracture, Shoulder girdle fracture, Scapular fracture Pulmonary and Respiratory system injuries Pneumothorax, Hemothorax, Hemopneumothorax, Pulmonary contusion, pulmonary laceration, Tracheobronchial injury Cardiac and Circulatory system injuries Pericardial tamponade, Myocardial contusion, Traumatic aortic rupture, Thoracic aorta injury