Factores pronóstico del traumatismo torácico: estudio prospectivo de 500 pacientes

ObjectiveIdentify the factors of greatest impact in patients with chest trauma.Patients and methodsprospective study of 500 patients (425 men and 75 women) with chest trauma treated between January 2006 and December 2008. The parameters assessed include the degree of trauma, the abbreviated injury scale (AIS), the injury severity score (ISS), pre-hospital intubation, duration of mechanical ventilation, stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), number of rib fractures, presence of pulmonary contusion, haemothorax and cardio-pulmonary effects.ResultsThe presence of polytrauma, the number of rib fractures, the presence of flail chest, pulmonary contusion, the delay in mechanical ventilation and age were shown to be effective markers of severity.ConclusionsThoracic injuries have a number of indicators of severity. The mortality risk is associated with an ISS >25, the presence of 3 or more rib fractures with flail chest, pulmonary contusion, the development of ARDS, and with an age >55 years.     

The sensitivity of chest X-ray (CXR) for the detection of significant thoracic injury in children exposed to blast

IntroductionThoracic trauma is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children exposed to blast and early recognition of these injuries is vital. While numerous studies have investigated the sensitivity of chest X-ray (CXR) for the detection of chest injury in blunt trauma, none have evaluated its performance in paediatric blast injury.MethodsCXR and Computed Tomography (CT) thorax findings were compared for 105 children who were injured by blast and presented to the UK Role 3 Hospital, Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, during the recent conflict in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2013. CXR performance was evaluated compared to the ‘gold standard’ of CT for the detection of significant thoracic injuries, defined as pneumothorax, haemothorax, aortic or great vessel injury, 2 or more rib fractures, ruptured diaphragm, sternal fracture, penetrating fragments and pulmonary contusion or laceration.ResultsThe sensitivity of CXR for the detection of significant injuries was: pneumothorax 43%, haemothorax 40%, contusion 44%, laceration 100%, blast lung 80% and subdermal metallic fragments 75%. CXR missed all cases of diaphragm injury, ≥2 rib fractures, clavicle fracture and pleural effusion, although numbers of each were small. Specificity for CXR injury detection was 94% for contusion and 93% for fragment, and 100% otherwise. The sensitivity and specificity of CXR for identifying an abnormality that would prompt CT imaging was 72% (95% CI 55–85%) and 82% (95% CI 70–90%).ConclusionsCXR has a poor sensitivity for the identification of significant thoracic injury in children exposed to blast. We argue that, given the challenge of clinical assessment of injured children and the potential for serious adverse consequences of missed thoracic injuries, there should be a low threshold for the use of CT chest in the evaluation of children exposed to blast.     

The incidence,clinical characteristics,and outcome of polytrauma patients with the combination of pulmonary contusion,flail chest and upper thoracic spinal injury

BackgroundChest trauma was the third most common cause of death in polytrauma patients, accounting for 25% of all deaths from traumatic injury. Chest trauma involves in injury to the bony thorax, intrathoracic organs and thoracic medulla. This study aimed to investigate the incidence, clinical characteristics, and outcome of polytrauma patients with pulmonary contusion, flail chest and upper thoracic spinal injury.MethodsPatients who met inclusion criteria were divided into groups: Pulmonary contusion group (PC); Pulmonary contusion and flail chest group (PC + FC); Pulmonary contusion and upper thoracic spinal cord injury group (PC + UTSCI); Thoracic trauma triad group (TTT): included patients with flail chest, pulmonary contusion and the upper thoracic spinal cord injury coexisted. Outcomes were determined, including 30-day mortality and 6-month mortality.ResultsA total 84 patients (2.0%) with TTT out of 4176 polytrauma patients presented to Tongji trauma center. There was no difference in mean ISS among PC + FC group, PC + UTSCI group and TTT group. Patients with TTT had a longer ICU stay (21.4 days vs. 7.5 and 6.2; p<0.01), relatively higher 30-day mortality (40.5% vs. 6.0% and 4.3%; p<0.01), and especially higher 6-month mortality (71.4% vs. 6.5%, 13.0%; p<0.01), compared to patients with PC + FC or with PC + UTSCI. The leading causes of death for patients with TTT were ARDS (44.1%) and pulmonary infection (26.5%) during first 30 days after admission. For those patients who died later than 30 days during the 6 months, the predominant underlying cause of death was MOF (53.8%).ConclusionsLethal triad of thoracic trauma (LTTT) were described in this study, which consisting of pulmonary contusion,flail chest and the upper thoracic spine cord injury. Like the classic “lethal triad”, there was a synergy between the factors when they coexist, resulting in especially high mortality rates. Polytrauma patients with LTTT were presented relatively high 30-day mortality and 6 months mortality. We should pay much more attention to the patients with LTTT for further minimizing complications and mortality.     

Appraisal of early evaluation of blunt chest trauma: development of a standardized scoring system for initial clinical decision making

BACKGROUND: Current techniques for assessment of chest trauma rely on clinical diagnoses or scoring systems. However, there is no generally accepted standard for early judgement of the severity of these injuries, especially in regards to related complications. This drawback may have a significant impact on the management of skeletal injuries, which are frequently associated with chest trauma. However, no convincing conclusions can be determined until standardization of the degrees of chest trauma is achieved. We investigated the role of early clinical and radiologic assessment techniques on outcome in patients with blunt multiple trauma and thoracic injuries and developed a new scoring system for early evaluation of chest trauma. METHODS: A retrospective investigation was performed on the basis of 4,571 blunt polytrauma (Injury Severity Score [ISS] > or = 18) patients admitted to our unit. Inclusion criteria were treatment of thoracic injury that required intensive care therapy, initial Glasgow Coma Scale score greater than 8 points, and no local or systemic infection. Patients with thoracic trauma and multiple associated injuries (ISS > or = 18) were included. In all patients, the association between various parameters of the thoracic injuries and subsequent mortality and morbidity was investigated. RESULTS: A total of 1,495 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Patients' medical records and chest radiographs were reevaluated between May 1, 1998, and June 1, 1999. The association between rib fractures and chest-related death was low (> three ribs unilateral, mortality 17.3%, odds ratio 1.01) unless bilateral involvement was present (> three ribs bilateral, mortality 40.9%, odds ratio 3.43). Injuries to the lung parenchyma, as determined by plain radiography, were associated with chest-related death, especially if the injuries were bilateral or associated with hemopneumothorax (lung contusion unilateral, mortality 25.2%, odds ratio 1.82; lung contusion bilateral + hemopneumothorax, mortality 53.3%, odds ratio 5.1). When plain anteroposterior chest radiographs were used, the diagnostic rate of rib fractures (< or = three ribs) increased slightly, from 77.1% to 97.3% during the first 24 hours of admission. In contrast, pulmonary contusions were often not diagnosed until 24 hours after admission (47.3% at admission, 92.4% at 24 h, p = 0.002). A new composite scoring system (thoracic trauma severity score) was developed that combines several variables: injuries to the chest wall, intrathoracic lesions, injuries involving the pleura, admission PaO2/FIO2 ratio, and patient age. The receiver operating characteristic curve demonstrated an adequate discrimination, as demonstrated by a value of 0.924 for the development set and 0.916 for the validation set. The score was also superior to the ISS (0.881) or the thorax Abbreviated Injury Score (0.693). CONCLUSION: Radiographically determined injuries to the lung parenchyma have a closer association with adverse outcome than chest-wall injuries but are often not diagnosed until 24 hours after injury. Therefore, clinical decision making, such as about the choice of surgery for long bone fractures, may be flawed if this information is used alone. A new thoracic trauma severity score may serve as an additional tool to improve the accuracy of the prediction of thoracic trauma-related complications.     

Long term outcomes following rib fracture fixation in patients with major chest trauma

BackgroundSevere chest injuries are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Surgical rib fixation has become a more commonplace procedure to improve chest wall mechanics, pain, and function. The aim of this study was to characterise the epidemiology and long-term functional outcomes of chest trauma patients who underwent rib fixation in a major trauma centre (MTC).MethodologyThis was a retrospective review (2014–19) of all adult patients with significant chest injury who had rib fixation surgery following blunt trauma to the chest. The primary outcome was functional recovery after hospital discharge, and secondary outcomes included length of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stay, maximum organ support, tracheostomy insertion, ventilator days.Results60 patients underwent rib fixation. Patients were mainly male (82%) with median age 52 (range 24–83) years, injury severity score (ISS) of 29 (21–38), 10 (4–19) broken ribs, and flail segment in 90% of patients. Forty-six patients (77%) had a good outcome (GOSE grade 6–8). Patients in the poor outcome group (23%; GOSE 1–5) tended to be older [55 (39–83) years vs. 51 (24–78); p = 0.05] and had longer length of hospital stay [42 (19–82) days vs. 24 (7–90); p<0.01]. Injury severity, rate of mechanical ventilation or organ dysfunction did not affect long term outcome. Nineteen patients (32%) were not mechanically ventilated.ConclusionsRib fixation was associated with good long-term outcomes in severely injured patients. Age was the only predictor of long-term outcome. The results suggest that rib fixation be considered in patients with severe chest injuries and may also benefit those who are not mechanically ventilated but are at risk of deterioration.     

Blunt chest trauma

Summary Blunt chest trauma is the leading cause of thoracic injuries in Germany, penetrating chest injuries are rare. Hereby, single or multiple rib fractures, hemato-pneumothorax and pulmonary contusion represent the most common injuries. The early managment of thoracic injuries consists of detection and sufficient therapy of acute life threatening situations like tension pneumothorax, acute respiratory insufficiency or severe intrathoracic bleeding. Most of the isolated thoracic injuries are adequately treated by conservative means, sufficient analgesia, drainage of intrapleural air or blood, physiotherapy and clearance of bronchial secretions provided; operative intervention is rarely indicated. In multiple injured patients however, severe blunt chest trauma and especially pulmonary contusion negatively affects outcome with a significant increase of morbidity and mortality. Hence, patients with this combination of pulmonary injuries, such as lung contusion and associated severe injuries, carry a particular high risk of respiratory failure, ARDS and MOF with a considerable mortality. Therefore, early exact diagnosis of all thoracic injuries is essential and can be achieved by thoracic computed tomography, which becomes more and more popular in this setting. Early intubation and PEEP-ventilation, alternate prone and supine positioning of multiple injured patients with lung contusion and differentiated concepts of volume- and catecholamine therapy represent the basic therapeutic principles. Additionally, the entire early trauma management of multiple injured patients must focus on the presence of pulmonary contusion. Every additional burden on their pulmonary microvascular system like microembolisation during femoral nailing, the trauma burden of extended surgery or mediator release in septic states may cause rapid decompensation and organ failure and therefore, has to be avoided.      

Chest injuries in children: an analysis of 100 cases of blunt chest trauma from motor vehicle accidents.

One hundred twenty-eight cases of chest injury were seen in a Paediatric Trauma Unit over a 5 1/2-year period. One hundred patients sustained motor vehicle accident (MVA)-related blunt chest injuries, 91 of them as pedestrians. Nine children had blunt chest injuries from falls, 10 had stab wounds (3 assault, 7 accidental), and 9 had gunshot injuries (6 from birdshot used by police during civil disturbance). MVA-related injuries were studied separately, as an etiologically homogeneous group. Sixty-five of these patients were under the age of 6. All but 3 also had serious extrathoracic injuries. The mean injury severity score (ISS) in MVA-related injuries was 25. Eight patients died, all with an ISS of 34 or more, 7 of whom had fatal head injuries. In MVA-related injuries, pulmonary contusion (n = 73) was the most frequent lesion seen, followed by rib fracture (n = 62), posttraumatic effusion (n = 58), pneumothorax (n = 38), and pneumatocele (n = 5). In MVA-related injuries, 18 children required ventilation. Thirty-nine (69%) of 56 children with radiologically evident posttraumatic pleural effusion had intercostal chest drainage. Analysis suggests that lung injury is a central event in MVA-related blunt chest trauma. Primary lung injury, radiologically visible as contusion, is complicated by hematoma, posttraumatic effusion, and pneumothorax.     

芦山地震所致胸部外伤17例临床分析

摘要目的总结“4·20”芦山地震胸部外伤的救治经验。方法回顾性分析华西医院胸外科2013年收治的芦山地震伤员17例的临床资料,其中男14例,女3例;年龄（57.3±16．1）岁。胸部外伤的诊断主要根据病史、体格检查、胸部x线片或胸部CT,分析其临床特点和治疗效果。结果重物砸伤12例（70．6％）,摔伤4例（23．5％）,车祸伤1例（5．9％）。胸部受伤情况包括皮肤软组织挫伤17例（100．0％）,肋骨骨折15例（88．2％）,1例伴有反常呼吸;肺挫伤15例（88．2％）,血气胸11例（64．7％）,胸骨骨折1例（5．9％）,双侧气胸伴广泛皮下气肿1例（5．9％）。13例（76．5％）分别合并颅脑、腹部、骨折及神经损伤。1例因左侧凝固性血胸,左下肺不张行左侧凝固性血胸清除,肋骨内固定术。17例均得到及时、有效治疗,无死亡病例。结论地震伤由于致伤机制多样,伤员往往为多发伤。胸部损伤以肋骨骨折及肺挫伤为主。胸腔闭式引流术是一种简单有效的治疗手段,良好的镇痛及积极的纤维支气管镜治疗可帮助伤员有效清理呼吸道,保持呼吸道通畅。     

Chest injury due to blunt trauma.

OBJECTIVE: Given its importance in trauma practice, we aimed to determine the pathologies associated with blunt chest injuries and to analyze the accurate identification of patients at high risk for major chest trauma. METHODS: We reviewed our experience with 1490 patients with blunt chest injuries who were admitted over a 2-year period. Patients were divided into three groups based on the presence of rib fractures. The groups were evaluated to demonstrate the relationship between the number of rib fractures and associated injuries. The possible effects of age and Injury Severity Score (ISS) on mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: Mean hospitalization time was 4.5 days. Mortality rate was 1% for the patients with blunt chest trauma, 4.7% in patients with more than two rib fractures and 17% for those with flail chest. There was significant association between the mortality rate and number of rib fractures, the patient's age and ISS. The rate of development of pneumothorax and/or hemothorax was 6.7% in patients with no rib fracture, 24.9% in patients with one or two rib fractures and 81.4% in patients with more than two rib fractures. The number of rib fractures was significantly related with the presence of hemothorax or pneumothorax. CONCLUSION: Achieving better results in the treatment of patients with chest wall injury depend on a variety of factors. The risk of mortality was associated with the presence of more than two rib fractures, with patients over the age of 60 years and with an ISS greater than or equal to 16 in chest trauma. Those patients at high risk for morbidity and mortality and the suitable approach methods for them should be acknowledged.     

Thoracic Injuries in Pediatric Polytraumatized Patients: Epidemiology,Treatment and Outcome

PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to assess the influence and contribution, epidemiology, treatment and outcome of thoracic injuries in a cohort of pediatric and adolescent polytraumatized patients.Material and MethodsAll pediatric and adolescent (age < 18 years) polytraumatized patients with associated thoracic injuries were included in this study. Demographic data, mechanism of injury (MOI), injury severity score (ISS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), hemodynamic parameters and pupillary response at ED admission, site of major injury (SOMI), associated chest and non-chest related injuries, length of hospital stay (LOS), procedures performed at the ED as well as outcome variables including mortality and cause of death. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for a poor prognosis and outcome.ResultsThe logistic regression found the following variables decreasing the odds for a “bad outcome”: lack of a hemodynamically unstable condition (p = 0.009) and the absence of a pathological pupillary response (p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe present study suggests that the severity of concomitant chest injuries in polytraumatized pediatric and adolescent patients contributes substantially to morbidity and mortality. Due to the anatomic features of the immature pediatric bones, careful attention should be drawn to possible severe chest injuries even in the absence of rib fractures.Level of evidenceA retrospective study (level – IV study)     

Blunt trauma related chest wall and pulmonary injuries: An overview

Physical traumas are tragic and multifaceted injuries that suddenly threaten life. Although it is the third most common cause of death in all age groups, one out of four trauma patients die due to thoracic injury or its complications. Blunt injuries constitute the majority of chest trauma. This indicates the importance of chest trauma among all traumas. Blunt chest trauma is usually caused by motor vehicle accident, falling from height, blunt instrument injury and physical assault. As a result of chest trauma, many injuries may occur, such as pulmonary injuries, and these require urgent intervention. Chest wall and pulmonary injuries range from rib fractures to flail chest, pneumothorax to hemothorax and pulmonary contusion to tracheobronchial injuries. Following these injuries, patients may present with a simple dyspnea or even respiratory arrest. For such patient, it is important to understand the treatment logic and to take a multidisciplinary approach to treat the pulmonary and chest wall injuries. This is because only 10% of thoracic trauma patients require surgical operation and the remaining 90% can be treated with simple methods such as appropriate airway, oxygen support, maneuvers, volume support and tube thoracostomy. Adequate pain control in chest trauma is sometimes the most basic and best treatment. With definite diagnosis, the morbidity and mortality can be significantly reduced by simple treatment methods.     

The natural history of flail chest injuries

Purpose: Flail chest (FC) injuries represent a significant burden on trauma services because of its high morbidity and mortality. Current gold standard conservative management strategies for FC, are now being challenged by renewed interest in surgical rib fixation. This retrospective epidemiological study sets out to evaluate FC patients, and quantify the natural history of this injury by studying the injury patterns, epidemiology and mortality of patients sustaining FC injuries admitted to a major trauma centre (MTC). Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis has been conducted at an MTC with full trauma service. All patients (age > 16 years) sustaining FC were included. Patient demographics, injury characteristics and inpatient stay information were extracted. Results: Two hundred and ninety-three patients were identified, with a mean injury severity score (ISS) of 28.9 (range 9-75), average age of 56.1 years (range of 16-100), and a male predominance (78%). Road traffic accidents accounted for 45% (n = 132) of injuries, whilst 44% were fall or jump from height (n = 129). Associated lung contusion was present in 133 patients (45%) while 76% of patients were found to have 5 or more ribs involved in the flail segment (n = 223) with 96% (n = 281) having a unilateral FC. Inpatient treatment was required 19.9 days (range 0e150 days) with 59% of patients (n = 173) requiring intensive care unit (ICU) level care for 8.4 days (range 1e63) with 61.8% requiring mechanical ventilation (n = 107) for 10.5 days (range 1-54), and 7.8% underwent rib fixation with rib plates (n = 23). The mortality rate was found to be 14% (n = 42). A non-significant trend towards improved outcomes in the conservative group was found when compared with the fixation group; ventilation days (6.94 vs 10.06, p = 0.18) intensive treatment unit (ITU) length of stay (LOS) (12.56 vs 15.53, p = 0.28) and hospital LOS (32.62 vs 35.24, p = 0.69). Conclusion: This study has successfully described the natural history of flail chest injuries, and has found a nonsignificant trend towards better outcomes with conservative management. With the cohort and management challenges now defined, work on outcome improvement can be targeted. In addition the comparability of results to other studies makes collaboration with other MTCs a realistic proposal.     

Influence of flail chest on outcome among patients with severe thoracic cage trauma

Flail chest is associated with a higher morbidity compared with multiple rib fractures, and it requires early intubation. This was a prospective comparative uncontrolled study at an academic level 1 trauma center. Twenty-two patients with flail chest (FLAIL) were compared with 90 patients with more than two rib fractures but no flail chest (RIBS) to determine differences in outcomes such as mortality, significant respiratory complications (pneumonia and adult respiratory distress syndrome), need for mechanical ventilation, and length of hospital stay. Stepwise logistic regression identified independent risk factors of poor outcome. Despite similar age and rates of lung contusion and extrathoracic injury, FLAIL patients had a higher need for mechanical ventilation (86% versus 42%, P < 0.01), higher incidence of significant respiratory complications (64% versus 26%, P < 0.01), and longer hospital stay (28 +/- 21 versus 17 +/- 19 days, P = 0.04) compared with RIBS patients. Flail chest and extrathoracic injuries were independent risk factors of significant respiratory complications. Of 11 FLAIL patients who were not intubated on arrival, eight required intubation within the next 24 hours, often while receiving diagnostic studies in poorly monitored hospital areas; two of these patients suffered morbidity directly related to the delay in intubation. Three patients without associated injuries were managed successfully without intubation. Flail chest is an independent marker of poor outcome among patients with thoracic cage trauma. The majority of patients with flail chest need mechanical ventilatory support and develop significant respiratory complications. In the presence of associated injuries, intubation is unavoidable and should be done under controlled conditions early after arrival to avoid morbidity related to sudden respiratory decompensation.     

Thoracic injury: a review of 276 cases

OBJECTIVE: Chest injury, one of the most important aspects of trauma, directly accounts for 25% of all trauma-related deaths and plays a major contributing role in another 25% of trauma deaths. This paper aimed to explore the spectrum and outcome of thoracic injuries seen in a multi centric study of trauma patients. METHODS: A total of 276 consecutive trauma patients in 6 general hospitals were analyzed. The feature of injury, injury severity score (ISS), clinical treatment and mortality were recorded in a prospective manner and analyzed retrospectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of mortality following the chest trauma. RESULTS: There were 246 males (89.1%) and 30 females (10.9%) ranging from 3 to 80 years with a mean age of (34+/-17) years. Road traffic accident was the main cause of injury, especially for pedestrians, followed by stab wound (89 cases, 32.1%) and falling injuries (32 cases, 11.6%), respectively. Haemothorax or pneumothorax (50.4%) and rib fracture (38.6%) were the most common types of chest injury. Extremity fracture was the most common associated injury with the rate of 37% ( 85/230), followed by head injury (25.2%) and abdominal trauma (19.6%). These injuries contributed significantly to the morbidity and mortality of trauma patients. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, most patients with chest injury can be treated conservatively with close observation and tube thoracostomy. The presence of blunt trauma, head injury and abdominal injury independently adversely affect mortality after chest trauma. It is necessary to investigate the causes and patterns of injuries resulting from stab wound for effective prevention.     

Half-a-dozen ribs: the breakpoint for mortality

BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that the number of rib fractures independently impacted patient pulmonary morbidity and mortality. METHODS: The National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB, v. 3.0 American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL) was queried for patients sustaining 1 or more rib fractures. Data abstracted included the number of rib fractures by International Classification of Diseases-9 code, Injury Severity Score, the occurrence of pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary embolus, pneumothorax, aspiration pneumonia, empyema, and associated injuries by abbreviated injury score, the need for mechanical ventilation, number of ventilator days, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, mortality, and use of epidural analgesia. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student t test and linear regression analysis. Statistical significance was defined as a P value of less than .05. RESULTS: The NTDB included 731,823 patients. Of these, 64,750 (9%) had a diagnosis of 1 or more fractured ribs. Thirteen percent (n = 8,473) of those with rib fractures developed 13,086 complications, of which 6,292 (48%) were related to a chest-wall injury. Mechanical ventilation was required in 60% of patients for an average of 13 days. Hospital LOS averaged 7 days and ICU LOS averaged 4 days. The overall mortality rate for patients with rib fractures was 10%. The mortality rate increased (P < .02) for each additional rib fracture. The same pattern was seen for the following morbidities: pneumonia (P < .01), acute respiratory distress syndrome (P < .01), pneumothorax (P < .01), aspiration pneumonia (P < .01), empyema (P < .04), ICU LOS (P < .01), and hospital LOS for up to 7 rib fractures (P < .01). An association between increasing hospital LOS and number of rib fractures was not shown (P = .19). Pulmonary embolism also was not related to the number of rib fractures (P = .06). Epidural analgesia was used in 2.2% (n = 1,295) of patients with rib fractures. A reduction in mortality with epidural analgesia was shown at 2, 4, and 6 through 8 rib fractures. The use of epidural analgesia had no impact on the frequency of pulmonary complications. When stratifying data by Injury Severity Score and the presence or absence of rib fractures the mortality rates were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the number of rib fractures correlated directly with increasing pulmonary morbidity and mortality. Patients sustaining fractures of 6 or more ribs are at significant risk for death from causes unrelated to the rib fractures. Epidural analgesia was associated with a reduction in mortality for all patients sustaining rib fractures, particularly those with more than 4 fractures, but this modality of treatment appears to be underused.     

Pulmonary contusion in the pan-scan era

BackgroundAlthough pulmonary contusion (PC) is traditionally considered a major injury requiring intensive monitoring, more frequent detection by chest CT in blunt trauma evaluation may diagnose clinically irrelevant PC.ObjectivesWe sought to determine (1) the frequency of PC diagnosis by chest CT versus chest X-ray (CXR), (2) the frequency of PC-associated thoracic injuries, and (3) PC patient clinical outcomes (mortality, length of stay [LOS], and need for mechanical ventilation), considering patients with PC seen on chest CT only (SOCTO) and isolated PC (PC without other thoracic injury).MethodsFocusing primarily on patients who had both CXR and chest CT, we conducted a pre-planned analysis of two prospectively enrolled cohorts with the following inclusion criteria: age >14 years, blunt trauma within 24 h of emergency department presentation, and receiving CXR or chest CT during trauma evaluation. We defined PC and other thoracic injuries according to CT reports and followed patients through their hospital course to determine clinical outcomes.ResultsOf 21,382 enrolled subjects, 8661 (40.5%) had both CXR and chest CT and 1012 (11.7%) of these had PC, making it the second most common injury after rib fracture. PC was SOCTO in 739 (73.0%). Most (73.5%) PC patients had other thoracic injury. PC patients had higher admission rates (91.9% versus 61.7%; mean difference 30.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 28.1–32.1%) and mortality (4.7% versus 2.0%: mean difference 2.8%; 95% CI 1.6–4.3%) than non-PC patients, but mortality was restricted to patients with other injuries (injury severity scores > 10). Patients with PC SOCTO had low rates of associated mechanical ventilation (4.6%) and patients with isolated PC SOCTO had low mortality (2.6%), comparable to that of patients without PC.ConclusionsPC is commonly diagnosed under current blunt trauma imaging protocols and most PC are SOCTO with other thoracic injury. Given that they are associated with low mortality and uncommon need for mechanical ventilation, isolated PC and PC SOCTO may be of limited clinical significance.     

Thoraxtrauma

Significant injuries to the thorax comprise pneumothorax, rib fractures, lung contusion, cardiac contusion, aortic laceration, ruptured diaphragm, and the very rare injuries to the tracheo-bronchial tree and the esophagus. A surgeon dealing with chest trauma patients needs to be familiar with the indications for and execution of chest tube insertion for thoracic drainage, pericardial puncture, and thoracoscopy and thoracotomy. Interventional techniques are gaining increasing acceptance in the management of major vascular injuries. The vast majority of patients with chest injury do not need an operative intervention, but it is necessary to place a thoracic drain in 10–15% of cases or to perform in a much lower proportion a pericardial puncture or a thoracotomy.     

Chest injury. Part II: Management of specific injuries

Significant injuries to the thorax comprise pneumothorax, rib fractures, lung contusion, cardiac contusion, aortic laceration, ruptured diaphragm, and the very rare injuries to the tracheo-bronchial tree and the esophagus. A surgeon dealing with chest trauma patients needs to be familiar with the indications for and execution of chest tube insertion for thoracic drainage, pericardial puncture, and thoracoscopy and thoracotomy. Interventional techniques are gaining increasing acceptance in the management of major vascular injuries. The vast majority of patients with chest injury do not need an operative intervention, but it is necessary to place a thoracic drain in 10-15% of cases or to perform in a much lower proportion a pericardial puncture or a thoracotomy.     

Predictive factors of morbidity and mortality in grade IV and V liver trauma undergoing perihepatic packing: Single institution 14 years experience at European trauma centre

PurposeMajor liver trauma in polytraumatic patients accounts for significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to assess prognostic factors for morbidity and mortality in patients with severe liver trauma undergoing perihepatic packing.MethodsProspectively collected records of 293 consecutive polytrauma patients with liver injury admitted at a level I trauma centre between 1996 and 2008 were reviewed. 39 patients with grade IV–V AAST liver injury and treated with peri-hepatic packing were identified and included for analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess prognostic factors for morbidity and mortality.ResultsMean age of patients was 41 years. 34 patients were haemodynamically unstable at initial presentation. Ten of 39 patients were treated with angiographic embolization in addition to perihepatic packing. The overall mortality rate was 51.3%. Liver-related death occurred in 23.1%. Overall and liver-related morbidity rates were 90% and 28%, respectively. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), respiratory rate, packed red blood cells (PRBC) transfusion, pH and Base Excess (BE), Revised Trauma Score (RTS) and Trauma Injury Severity Score (TRISS), need for angiographic embolization as well as early OR and ICU admission were associated with significant decrease of early mortality.ConclusionsRevised Trauma Score, haemodynamic instability, blood pH and BE are important prognostic factors influencing morbidity and mortality in polytrauma patients with grade IV/V liver injury. Furthermore, fast and effective surgical damage control procedure with perihepatic packing, followed by early ICU admission is associated with lower complication rate and shorter ICU stays in this patient population.     

Risk factors for thirty-day morbidity and mortality after spinal trauma

Background

Traumatic Spinal Injuries (TSI) often follow high velocity injuries and frequently accompanied by polytrauma. While most studies have focussed on outcomes of spinal cord injuries, the incidence and risk factors that predict morbidity and mortality after TSI has not been well-defined.

Methods

Data of consecutive patients of TSI (n = 2065) treated over a 5-year-period were evaluated for demographics, injury mechanisms, neurological status, associated injuries, timing of surgery and co-morbidities. The thirty-day incidence and risk factors for complications, length of stay and mortality were analysed.

Results

The incidence of spinal trauma was 6.2%. Associated injuries were seen in 49.7% (n = 1028), and 33.5% (n = 692) patients had comorbidities. The 30-day mortality was 0.73% (n = 15). Associated chest injuries (p = 0.0001), cervical spine injury (p = 0.0001), ASIA-A neurology (p < 0.01) and ankylosing spondylitis (p = 0.01) correlated with higher mortality. Peri-operative morbidity was noted in 571 patients (27.7%) and were significantly associated with age > 60 (p = 0.043), ASIA-A neurology (p < 0.05), chest injuries (p = 0.042), cervical and thoracic spine injury (p < 0.0001). The mean length of stay in hospital was 8.87 days. Cervical spine injury (p < 0.0001), delay in surgery > 48 h (p = 0.011), Diabetes mellitus (p = 0.01), Ankylosing spondylitis (p = 0.009), associated injuries of chest, head, pelvis and face (p < 0.05) were independent risk factors for longer hospital stay.

Conclusion

Key predictors of mortality after spinal trauma were cervical spine injury, complete neurological deficit, chest injuries and ankylosing spondylitis, while additionally higher age and thoracic injuries contributed to higher morbidity and prolonged hospitalisation. Notably multi-level injuries, higher age, co-morbidities and timing of surgery did not influence the mortality.