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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1977

Indications for thoracotomy following penetrating thoracic injury.

The treatment of penetrating thoracic injuries has been reviewed in both civilian and military series. Although most surgeons agree that closed that closed thoracostomy drainage is the initial treatment of choice, the timing of early thoracotomy and perhaps cardiorrhaphy upon patients with penetrating thoracic injuries remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine which patients will require immediate thoractomy or cardiorrhaphy following penetrating chest injury. Over a two-year period 190 patients with penetrating thoracic injuries were treated. Of 53 patients who required immediate thoracotomy, 31 suffered cardiac wounds. Seventy-nine patients required laparotomy for associated intra-abdominal injuries. The mortality rate was related to exsanguinating hemorrhage or postoperative intra-abdominal sepsis. Cardiopulmonary complications were rare in the absence of intra-abdominal sepsis and could not be attributed to the thoracic injury or thoracotomy. Indications for immediate cardiorrhaphy or thoracotomy are: 1) location of the entrance wound (70% in upper mediastinum); 2) blood pressure on admission less than 90; 3) initial thoracostomy blood loss greater than 800 cc; 4) radiographic evidence of retained hemothorax; and/or 5) clinical evidence of pericardial tamponade.

Drainage↗
PubMed1992

Traumatic mediastinal lymphocele mimicking other thoracic injuries: case report.

Thoracic duct injury and chylothorax are rare consequences of blunt thoracic trauma. A contained mediastinal lymph collection (ie, lymphocele) is rarer still. The article describes a case of posttraumatic mediastinal widening resulting from a high-speed motor vehicle accident. During the patient's radiologic assessment aortic rupture, paraspinal hematoma, esophageal injury, mediastinal tumor, and pseudomeningocele were sought and subsequently excluded. At this point a traumatic lymphocele was suggested, and the diagnosis was confirmed by computed tomography-guided percutaneous needle aspiration. The anatomy and physiology of the thoracic duct are reviewed.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

[Rare thoracic injuries (biomechanics, diagnosis and therapy) (author's transl)].

Thoracic injuries caused by direct or indirect power action involve various injury effects. The extent of injury depends on the force and the direction of the acting power, on the biomechanical properties of the partial structures of the thorax, and on genetically determined variations of form and structure. These correlations are demonstrated by special examples of rare thoracic injuries. The motto for the diagnostic and the choice of the therapeutical procedure is: "Inter vulnerationem thoracis diagnosis incipiat".

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1976

The management of acute thoracic injuries.

The injuries resulting from blunt and penetrating injuries to the thoracic cage and its contents require prompt recognition and treatment. An outline of the major problems and recommendations for management is presented.

Critical Care↗
PubMed1992

[Practical aspects of thoracic injuries].

While mortality is about one per hundred in patients with injuries to the chest wall it is one in five in patients with internal thoracic injuries. The mortality is dependent on the total severity of injuries, and upon age. Closed, blunt thoracic trauma may initially present few signs and symptoms. Internal injuries, such as pneumothorax and haemothorax may be present. Decompression by thoracic drainage improves oxygenation. This may be crucial for the prognosis in multitrauma, particularly in cases of concomitant head injury. Treatment and diagnosis of thoracic injuries have first priority in the multitraumatized patient. A chest X-ray should be obtained early, and should be repeated, possibly supplemented by a CT-scan. When pneumothorax or haemothorax is suspected, and in cases of penetrating injury, chest drainage is widely used. In cases of chest injury and unexplained shock, cardiac tamponade must be excluded by subxiphoidal incision.

Drainage↗
PubMed1992

[X-ray computed tomography of thoracic injuries. Apropos of 40 cases].

On chest radiographs, the precise assessment of thoracic injuries consecutive to blunt trauma is often compromised by the nonspecific appearance of many lesions. Furthermore, significant injuries are frequently overlooked. However, the management of the patients with chest trauma is still often based primarily upon clinical and radiographic findings and Computed Tomography (CT) is often performed secondarily on the basis of unexplained clinical signs or suspected radiographic abnormality. Some authors have reported that CT was a highly sensitive method for detecting thoracic lesions frequently not seen or underestimated on conventional supine chest radiographs. However, the value that these new CT findings could have in the therapeutic management of these patients, have not been systematically investigated to our knowledge, except in a limited series suggesting that the course of critically ill patients could be substantially altered after thoracic CT. In order to estimate the role of early CT in the management of patient care, we report the therapeutic consequences of CT findings in forty patients who we report the therapeutic consequences of CT findings in forty patients who had a thoracic CT within few hours following a chest injury. We showed that early thoracic CT scan in patients with blunt trauma detected significantly more lesions than did chest X-Ray and appreciably modified the treatment modalities in 70% of our patients. We then recommend that all the patients admitted in ICU after chest trauma undergo a thoracic CT scan as soon as possible in order to optimize their treatment modalities.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

A parametric study of the thoracic injury potential of basic taekwondo kicks.

A parametric investigation of the thoracic injury potential of basic taekwondo kicks was conducted through the use of computer simulations. Linkage-based models were employed to simulate the kinetics of the kicking leg and were used to drive a human thorax model. The results of the analysis according to the thoracic compression criterion indicated a minimal probability of severe injury (AIS4+) for swing kicks, nearly 0 percent and thrust kicks, less than three percent. The thoracic viscous criteria, on the other hand, predicted a severe injury probability of up to 100 percent for swing kicks and up to 80 percent for thrust kicks. Additional analysis showed that the injury potential was a strong function of the kick velocity and a weak function of the applied constant force. The injury potential was also found to be a weak function of the size and weight of the kicking leg, with variations in the peak compression and viscous response being typically below 5 percent for a 20 percent change in either the mass or the length.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1977

[Thoracic injury and fat embolism].

The authors state that fat embolism occurs rather frequently following thoracic injuries. It is difficult to make a diagnosis because of the complexity of the symptoms. The correct evaluation of the characteristic clinical and laboratory signs arising after a period free of symptoms is essential. The authors outline the brief case history of a successfully treated patient, who recovered, owing to the use of the respirator in the intensive care unit.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Thoracic injuries--when is use of the heart-lung machine necessary?].

Most patients with severe blunt or penetrating thoracic injuries die early after the accident (approximately 50%). The majority of those who reach an emergency department (approximately 80-85%) can therefore be treated initially with intensive observation (following drainage and/or intubation). If clinical deterioration due to continuous bleeding or progressive hemodynamic and respiratory problems occurs, however, urgent surgical intervention is indicated. Transfer of those critical patients to specialized hospitals often becomes dangerous because of time loss, and it is unnecessary as major equipment (e.g., extracorporeal circulation) is demanded only in the minority of operations.

Emergencies↗
PubMed1977

Nonpenetrating thoracic injuries.

In patients with nonpenetrating thoracic trauma, the rib fractures and other chest wall lesions may distract the physician from dangerous internal injuries in the chest or abdomen which may not be noted unless looked for very carefully. Early vigorous correction of any ventilatory problem is essential, particularly if there is any evidence of impaired tissue perfusion. Shock is frequently due to extrathoracic injuries, particularly intraabdominal bleeding. The flail associated with multiple rib fractures may seem mild initially, but severe underlying pulponary contusion and/or associated extrathoracic injuries make early ventilatory assistance extremely important. Rupture of the thoracic aorta should be suspected in rapid deceleration injuries, but is often not considered unless there is widening of the superior mediastinum on hte chest x-ray. Aortography to confirm the aortic tear should be done if time permits, and early repair of the injury provides the best results.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Thoracic injuries in the Yom Kippur war. Experience in a base hospital.

Forty-two patients were treated for combat injuries of the chest, caused by shrapnel fragments, bullet wounds, blunt trauma and blast injury. Twenty-three required only intercostal tube drainage, while 19 underwent thoracotomy. There were two deaths, both unrelated to the thoracic injury. Our indications for emergency thoracotomy were hemorrhage of 1,000 ml with the initial insertion of the chest tube or 500 ml of fresh bleeding during the first 2 hr after insertion of the chest tube, massive air leak, extensive chest wall injury, the location of metal fragments in the mediastinum, evidence of cardiac tamponade or significant mediastinal shift. The positive results obtained in this series of cases were due to the effective first aid treatment on the battlefield and in field hospitals, and to an aggressive policy of operative intervention where indicated, together with intensive postoperative care.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

[Neuroplegia in cranial and cranio-thoracic injuries].

During severe head injuries, the reaction to the cerebral lesion is intense and characterised by a disturbance which is automatic, vasomotor and endocrine. Associated with general ventilatory and nutritional resuscitation, neuroplegia occupies in this pathology, aplace of choice. Cranio-thoracic traumas raise more complex problems owing to different ventilatory requirements, depending on whether the lesion is of the brain or thorax. One must therefore, find a compromise between the depression which necessarily occurs during a too intense autonomic reaction, and the ventilatory requirements created by the thoracic injury. In all cases, the micro-circulatory improvement produced by neuroplegic drugs is probably favourable. The authors report their experience of eighty severe cranio-thoracic traumas, over a period of thirty months, submitted to treatment including neuroplegics.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
PubMed1992

[Penetrating thoracic injuries].

In a period of peace in Germany and other westeuropean countries, penetrating trauma of the thorax (PTT) is much more rarer than blunt trauma. An analysis of 103 patients with PTT, treated in the Surgical Department of the University of Cologne from 1980 to 1990, showed, that these are usually isolated injuries in young patients. These occur usually following violence as stab wounds and less commonly gunshot wounds. Two thirds of the patients could be treated adequately with intensive care therapy and the use of thoracic drains. One third of the patients underwent thoracotomy, which was carried out in two thirds within one hour after hospital admission and in the remaining one third within the first 24 hours. The mortality for all PTT was 13%, being 10% for isolated thoracic injuries and 19% for patients with multiple trauma.

Adolescent↗