Urgent airways after trauma: who gets pneumonia?

BACKGROUND: Several risk factors, including emergent intubation, severe head injury, shock, blunt trauma, and high severity of injury, have been identified as risk factors for the development of pneumonia after trauma. This study assesses the contribution of emergent intubation to the development of pneumonia after injury. METHODS: A retrospective review of all trauma patients requiring intubation or cricothyroidotomy in the Emergency Department (ED) or in the pre-hospital area (field) over a 41/2 year period. RESULTS: 571 patients comprised the study population. Of these, 80% had airways established in the ED, while 20% were intubated in the field. Field intubation was associated with a lower Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (p <0.0001) and more severe injury (p <0.0001), particularly to the chest and extremities.Twenty-five percent of the population developed pneumonia. Patients diagnosed with pneumonia were older (p=0.009), and had a higher ISS (p <0.0001), lower GCS score, (p <0.008), longer ICU and hospital length of stay (p < 0.0001). Injuries to the head, thorax and extremities were more common (p < 0.05) and more severe (p <0.05) in patients developing pneumonia. The incidence of pneumonia after field airway was significantly higher (35% versus 23%, p=0.048).Multiple logistic regression analysis identified field intubation, age, AIS-head, and AIS-extremity as independent risk factors for pneumonia. CONCLUSION: Pre-hospital but not ED intubation is an independent risk factor for the development of post-traumatic pneumonia. Other predictors include the severity of injury, specifically head and extremity injuries.     

Anaesthetic management of acute blunt thoracic trauma

Sunnybrook Health Science Centre is an adult regional trauma unit serving metropolitan Toronto and environs. We undertook a nvo-year retrospective review of patients admitted to our institution with blunt thoracic trauma. Three hundred and thirty-three patients with blunt trauma and an injury severity score (ISS) greater than 17 required emergency surgery. Of these, 208 had blunt thoracic injuries while 125 did not have chest injuries. Both groups were similar with respect to age but patients with thoracic trauma had a greater ISS. (P < 0.05) and greater intraoperative mortality (P < 0.01). The aetiology of the intraoperative deaths with one exception was exsanguination. Emergency thoracotomy or sternotomy indicated a poor prognosis with a mortality rate of 80%. The most common intraoperative problem was an elevated airway pressure. Awake intubation was undertaken in 77.5% of patients requiring anaesthesia and surgery because of the potentially compromised airways and difficult intubations due to the nature of the associated injuries. Finally, 74% of patients undergoing urgent surgery required mechanical postoperative ventilation. The presence of blunt chest trauma should be considered a marker of the severity of injury sustained by the patient.     

Selective management of flail chest and pulmonary contusion.

Four hundred and twenty-seven patients with severe blunt chest trauma were treated resulting in (1) flail chest, (2) pulmonary contusions, (3) pneumothorax, (4) hemothorax, or (5) multiple rib fracture. The need for endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation was determined selectively by standard clinical criteria. Avoidance of fluid overload and vigorous pulmonary toilet was attempted in all patients. Three hundred and twenty-eight patients were treated by nonintubation; 318 patients (96.6%) had a successful outcome, while ten required intubation. Only one patient died. The 99 patients who required intubation and mechanical ventilation had a high mortality because of associated shock and head injury; however, the total mortality for the entire group of patients was 6.5%, with only 1.4% mortality caused by pulmonary injury. The incidence of pneumonia was high (51%), but there was only a 4% incidence of tracheostomy complications. Flail chest and pulmonary contusion without flail chest occurred in 95 and 135 patients, respectively. Half of the flail chest patients were intubated, but 69.5% were intubated less than three days. Twenty per cent of the patients with pulmonary contusion required mechanical ventilation, usually for less than three days. This study demonstrates that patients with severe blunt chest trauma can be managed safely by selective intubation and mechanical, ventilation and that the incidence of complications associated with controlled mechanical ventilation can be greatly reduced.     

CT as a first-line modality in elderly patients with stable blunt chest trauma

Purpose: Blunt thoracic injuries are common among elderly patients and may be a common cause of morbidity and death from blunt trauma injuries. We aimed to examine the impact of chest CT on the diagnosis and change of management plan in elderly patients with stable blunt chest trauma. We hypothesized that chest CT may play an important role in providing optimal management to this subgroup of trauma patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on all the admitted adult blunt trauma patients between January 2014 and December 2018. Stable blunt chest trauma patients with abbreviated injury severity (AIS) < 3 for extra-thoracic injuries confirmed with chest X-ray (CXR) and chest CT on admission or during hospitalization were included in the study. The AIS is an international scale for grading the severity of anatomic injury following blunt trauma. Primary outcome variables were occult injuries, change in management, need for surgical procedures, missed injuries, readmission rate, intensive care unit (ICU) and length of hospital stay. Results: There are 473 patients with blunt chest trauma included in the study. The study patients were divided into two groups according to the age range: group 1: 289 patients were included and aged 18-64 years; group 2: 184 patients were included and aged 65-99 years . Elderly patients in group 2 more often required ICU admission (11.4% vs. 5.2%), had a longer length of ICU stay (days) (median 11 vs. 6, p = 0.01), and the length of hospital stay (days) (median 14 vs. 6, p = 0.04). Injuries identified on chest CT has led to a change of management in 4.4% of young patients in group 1 and in 10.9% of elderly patients in group 2 with initially normal CXR. Chest CT resulted in a change of management in 12.8% of young patients in group 1 and in 25.7% of elderly patients in group 2 with initially abnormal CXR. Conclusion: Chest CT led to a change of management in a substantial proportion of elderly patients. Therefore, we recommend chest CT as a first-line imaging modality in patients aged over 65 years with isolated blunt chest trauma.     

Fixation of femoral fractures in multiple-injury patients with combined chest and head injuries

Background: The purpose of the present paper was to study the effects of a femoral shaft fracture and its early stabilization on the morbidity, mortality, and outcome of multiple‐injury patients with combined blunt head and chest trauma. The clinical course of patients was analysed using a prospectively gathered data base. Methods: Out of 352 multitrauma patients, from September 1992 to June 2000, we identified 28 patients with combined blunt chest and head trauma (abbreviated injury scale ≥ 2) and a femoral fracture as the study group. A total of 120 patients with combined chest and head trauma but without femoral fracture formed the control group. Parameters examined included injury severity, injury pattern, haemodynamics at admission, mortality, duration of ventilation, length of stay in intensive care unit, and outcome. Results: There were no significant differences regarding the demographics and injury severity (injury severity score) between the two groups. No significant differences were found in terms of mortality, duration of ventilation\intensive care unit stay and outcome. Injury severity (P < 0.0001), age (P = 0.0153), and haemodynamics at admission (P = 0.0036) were shown to have a significant effect on mortality and outcome. Injury severity (P < 0.0001) and age (P = 0.017) had a significant effect on the duration of ventilation\intensive care unit stay. Conclusions: The present study suggests that a femoral shaft fracture and its early stabilization in a multitrauma patient with combined chest and head injury do not adversely affect mortality and outcome and supports aggressive surgical management for these patients.     

Continuous epidural fentanyl analgesia: ventilatory function improvement with routine use in treatment of blunt chest injury

The safety and effectiveness of continuous epidural fentanyl analgesia (CEFA) in the treatment of blunt chest injury was evaluated by reviewing its use in 40 patients with multiple rib fractures or flail chest. Ventilatory function tests were performed before and after the institution of CEFA and mean changes calculated. The use of CEFA was associated with significant improvement in vital capacity and maximum inspiratory pressure (p less than 0.05). Minute ventilatory volumes and tidal volumes also showed slight improvement. There was no significant change in arterial CO2 tension with the institution of CEFA, and 85% of patients had good pain relief with CEFA. None of these patients required any other narcotic administration. Documented complications associated with CEFA included pruritus, urinary retention, and transient hypotension. There were no major associated complications. The results suggest that CEFA is a safe, effective method of pain control that acts to improve ventilatory function in patients with blunt chest trauma.     

The management of flail chest

Flail chest is an uncommon consequence of blunt trauma. It usually occurs in the setting of a high-speed motor vehicle crash and can carry a high morbidity and mortality. The outcome of flail chest injury is a function of associated injuries. Isolated flail chest may be successfully managed with aggressive pulmonary toilet including facemask oxygen, CPAP, and chest physiotherapy. Adequate analgesia is of paramount importance in patient recovery and may contribute to the return of normal respiratory mechanics. Early intubation and mechanical ventilation is paramount in patients with refractory respiratory failure or other serious traumatic injuries. Prolonged mechanical ventilation is associated with the development of pneumonia and a poor outcome. Tracheotomy and frequent flexible bronchoscopy should be considered to provide effective pulmonary toilet. Surgical stabilization is associated with a faster ventilator wean, shorter ICU time, less hospital cost, and recovery of pulmonary function in a select group of patients with flail chest. Open fixation is appropriate in patients who are unable to be weaned from the ventilator secondary to the mechanics of flail chest. Persistent pain, severe chest wall instability, and a progressive decline in pulmonary function testing in a patient with flail chest are also indications for surgical stabilization. Open fixation is also indicated for flail chest when thoracotomy is performed for other concomitant injuries. There is no role for surgical stabilization for patients with severe pulmonary contusion. The underlying lung injury and respiratory failure preclude early ventilator weaning. Supportive therapy and pneumatic stabilization is the recommended approach for this patient subset.     

Long bone fractures predispose to pulmonary dysfunction in blunt chest trauma despite early operative fixation.

Recent reports have demonstrated a decreased incidence of pulmonary complications in patients who have undergone trauma after early operative fixation of long bone fractures. Few studies, however, have specifically examined the effect of associated long bone fractures and their management on pulmonary dysfunction in multiply injured patients with significant blunt chest trauma. We retrospectively reviewed 130 consecutive patients with major blunt chest injury as a component of multisystem trauma. Patients were assessed for overall injury severity and degree of pulmonary dysfunction after being categorized according to associated injury pattern (presence or absence of long bone fracture[s]) and treatment received (early operative fixation at less than 48 hours versus late fixation or nonoperative management). Patients with long bone fractures and concurrent blunt chest trauma had a higher incidence of pulmonary morbidity and death (p less than 0.05) than had patients with similar Injury Severity Scores without long bone fractures. Early operative fixation did not protect against pulmonary dysfunction or death in this group of patients. Despite early operative fixation, long bone fractures predispose patients with concurrent major blunt chest injury to increased pulmonary dysfunction.     

Chest Injuries in Polytrauma

Abstract Background and Purpose: Blunt chest injuries are commonly seen in polytrauma patients and are known to be associated with higher mortality and morbidity. The objectives of the present study are to assess the effect of blunt chest injury concerning morbidity, mortality as well as clinical courses and outcome of multiply injured patients with chest trauma. Patients and Methods: This study includes all polytrauma patients with chest injury treated between 1992 and 2002 at a major urban trauma center. Parameters examined included injury pattern, injury severity, mortality, hemodynamics at admission, duration of ventilation, length of stay in intensive care unit (ICU), and outcome. Results: 332 out of 501 polytrauma patients, 228 males and 104 females, had a coexisting chest injury. Mean age at the time of injury was 37.7 years, and 258 patients were intubated before admission. Average period on ICU was 15.4 days, and 35.9 days for total hospital stay. Regarding the injury pattern in 143 patients a combined hemo-/pneumothorax was seen, 109 patients had either a hemothorax or a pneumothorax, in 155 patients a unilateral and in 52 patients a bilateral serial rib fracture was diagnosed, in 28 patients either sternal or singular rib fractures were determined, in a total of 23 patients an unstable thorax or a flail chest was seen, 105 patients had a unilateral pulmonary contusion, and in 79 patients a bilateral pulmonary contusion was diagnosed. Finally, a total of eleven patients with a traumatic aortic disruption were identified. Conclusion: The present study shows that chest injuries in polytrauma patients are common coexisting injuries and contribute significantly to the morbidity and outcome of these patients. Early intubation and ventilation in combination with an adequate circulatory stabilization are crucial to avoid complications and deleterious outcome.     

The use of chest computed tomography versus chest X-ray in patients with major blunt trauma

INTRODUCTION: Computed tomography (CT) scans are often used in the evaluation of patients with blunt trauma. This study identifies the clinical features associated with further diagnostic information obtained on a CT chest scan compared with a standard chest X-ray in patients sustaining blunt trauma to the chest. METHODS: A 2-year retrospective survey of 141 patients who attended a Level 1 trauma centre for blunt trauma and had a chest CT scan and a chest X-ray as part of an initial assessment was undertaken. Data extracted from the medical record included vital signs, laboratory findings, interventions and the type and severity of injury. RESULTS: The CT chest scan is significantly more likely to provide further diagnostic information for the management of blunt trauma compared to a chest X-ray in patients with chest wall tenderness (OR=6.73, 95% CI=2.56, 17.70, p<0.001), reduced air-entry (OR=4.48, 95% CI=1.33, 15.02, p=0.015) and/or abnormal respiratory effort (OR=4.05, 95% CI=1.28, 12.66, p=0.017). CT scan was significantly more effective than routine chest X-ray in detecting lung contusions, pneumothoraces, mediastinal haematomas, as well as fractured ribs, scapulas, sternums and vertebrae. CONCLUSION: In alert patients without evidence of chest wall tenderness, reduced air-entry or abnormal respiratory effort, selective use of CT chest scanning as a screening tool could be adopted. This is supported by the fact that most chest injuries can be treated with simple observation. Intubated patients, in most instances, should receive a routine CT chest scan in their first assessment.     

The clinical significance of occult thoracic injury in blunt trauma patients

Increased use of thoracic CT (TCT) in diagnosis of blunt traumatic injury has identified many injuries previously undetected on screening chest x-ray (CXR), termed "occult injury". The optimal management of occult rib fractures, pneumothoraces (PTX), hemothoraces (HTX), and pulmonary contusions is uncertain. Our objective was to determine the current management and clinical outcome of these occult blunt thoracic injuries. A retrospective review identified patients with blunt thoracic trauma who underwent both CXR and TCT over a 2-year period at a Level I urban trauma center. Patients with acute rib fractures, PTX, HTX, or pulmonary contusion on TCT were included. Patient groups analyzed included: (1) no injury (normal CXR, normal TCT, n=1337); (2) occult injury (normal CXR, abnormal TCT, n=205); and (3) overt injury (abnormal CXR, abnormal TCT, n=227). Patients with overt injury required significantly more mechanical ventilation and had greater mortality than either occult or no injury patients. Occult and no injury patients had similar ventilator needs and mortality, but occult injury patients remained hospitalized longer. No patient with isolated occult thoracic injury required intubation or tube thoracostomy. Occult injuries, diagnosed by TCT only, have minimal clinical consequences but attract increased hospital resources.     

Comparison of multiplane transesophageal echocardiography and contrast-enhanced helical CT in the diagnosis of blunt traumatic cardiovascular injuries

BACKGROUND: Multiplane transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and helical computed tomography (CT) of the chest have been validated separately against aortography for the diagnosis of acute traumatic aortic injuries (ATAI). However, their respective diagnostic accuracy in identifying blunt traumatic cardiovascular lesions has not been compared. METHODS: During a 3-yr period, 110 consecutive patients with severe blunt chest trauma (age: 41 +/- 17 yr; injury severity score: 34 +/- 14) prospectively underwent TEE and chest CT as part of their initial evaluation. Results of both imaging methods were interpreted independently by experienced investigators and subsequently compared. All cases of subadventitial acute traumatic aortic injury were surgically confirmed. RESULTS: Seventeen patients had vascular injury and 11 had cardiac lesions. TEE and CT identified all subadventitial disruptions involving the aortic isthmus (n = 10) or the ascending aorta (n = 1) that necessitated surgical repair. In contrast, CT only depicted one disruption of the innominate artery. TEE detected injuries involving the intimal or medial layer, or both, of the aortic isthmus in four patients with apparently normal CT results who underwent successful conservative treatment. All cardiac injuries but two were identified only by TEE. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with severe blunt chest trauma, TEE and CT have similar diagnostic accuracy for the identification of surgical acute traumatic aortic injuy. TEE also allows the diagnosis of associated cardiac injuries and is more sensitive than CT for the identification of intimal or medial lesions of the thoracic aorta.     

Continuous oscillation therapy for the treatment of pulmonary contusion.

Pulmonary contusion as a result of blunt trauma carries significant morbidity and mortality. In an attempt to improve therapy, a prospective study was performed in which 30 patients were randomized to either receive or not receive continuous oscillation therapy on the Kinetic Treatment Table. Pulmonary contusion was defined by mechanism of injury (blunt trauma secondary to a motor vehicle accident), hypoxemia, and radiographic confirmation. Patients who received continuous oscillation therapy had a significantly higher injury severity score (more severely injured group of patients), yet had a hospital course similar to those patients who did not receive continuous oscillation therapy and had a significantly lower injury severity score.     

Role of CT in diagnosis of major arterial injury after blunt thoracic trauma

The role of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of blunt thoracic vascular injury is controversial. Several recent reports have advocated the use of CT to exclude aortic and major branch injuries in hemodynamically stable patients with blunt trauma. This approach potentially avoids invasive angiography and unnecessary treatment delays in multiply injured patients but risks missed aortic transections if the CT or its interpretation is not accurate. We prospectively evaluated 153 consecutive trauma patients in whom we suspected blunt aortic injury between September 1985 and August 1988. All hemodynamically stable patients underwent contrast-enhanced chest CT followed by immediate aortic arch angiography. Forty-nine unstable patients underwent immediate angiography without chest CT, and 11 (22%) had major thoracic arterial injuries. Data from the remaining 104 stable patients indicate that the sensitivity of chest CT for diagnosis of major thoracic injury is 55%; specificity, 65%. If the chest CT had been used as a screening modality to perform aortic angiography, two transected aortas and three major aortic branch injuries would have been missed. We conclude that chest CT has no screening role in the evaluation of blunt trauma patients with possible major vascular injury.     

Blunt chest trauma in the elderly

Forty-eight patients over 60 years of age who had sustained blunt chest trauma were evaluated by injury, treatment, survival, and return to preinjury function. The patients ranged in age from 60-92 years (mean 72). The cause of injury was a fall in 25 (52.1%) and motor vehicle accident in 20 (41.7%). Twenty-three (47.9%) patients had major extrathoracic injuries. The average Injury Severity Score was 18 (range 5-41). Seven (14.6%) patients were treated with ventilation; six of these patients had flail chests, and four (57.1%) intubated patients developed pulmonary complications. Nonventilatory therapy was utilized in 41 (85.4%) patients; there were two (4.9%) treatment failures who required subsequent intubation. Six of 41 (14.6%) developed pneumonia. There was one death overall, yielding a mortality rate of 2.1%. Forty-three (89.6%) patients were discharged home: 39 (81.3%) to an independent life and four (8.3%) requiring partial assistance. Four (8.3%) required long term nursing home care. Severe chest trauma alone does not forecast a poor outcome in the elderly. Most elderly patients who sustain blunt chest trauma will be able to return to an independent life. Nonventilatory therapy, where indicated, is preferred to reduce severe pulmonary complications. Antecedent nutritional depletion may indicate the need for ventilatory therapy in the elderly chest trauma patient.     

The value of subjective estimation of the severity of thoracic injuries by the emergency surgeon

INTENTION: Thorax trauma (TT) is associated with a high rate of pulmonary failure and increased mortality. To prevent these complications, the German trauma system recommends intubation and chest tube insertion at the scene of the accident, even in cases without acute respiratory dysfunction. Due to the possible life threatening complications of the therapy, the emergency surgeon should be able to correctly identify a TT at the scene. Therefore, we retrospectively compared the evaluation of chest trauma by the emergency surgeon with objective injury severity according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). METHOD: Data from 2,392 patients (aged 39+/-1 years, Injury Severity Score 27+/-0.3) were taken from the multiple trauma database of the German Trauma Society. The evaluation of TT (absent, light, medium, severe) by the emergency surgeon was compared with objective injury severity (AIS=0: absent, 0>AIS<3: light, AIS=3: medium, AIS>3: severe). If the difference between the subjective and objective injury severity increased or decreased two and more levels, a substantial misclassification was assumed. The influence of the estimate on outcome was tested by comparing the predicted (TRISS-method) with the observed fatalities. RESULTS: Absence of TT was estimated correctly in 62%, light in 24%, medium in 40% and severe TT in 46% of cases. Thus a correct estimate of TT was made for 49% of the patients. The chest injury severity was substantially overrated by the emergency surgeon in 20% and substantially underestimated in 17% of cases. In patients with the correct classification at the scene, a total of 81% received a chest tube. Of these patients, only 50% received their chest tube at the scene. Of the patients with an initially overlooked TT, only 37% received a chest tube and nearly all were placed in the emergency room. The number of fatalities was lower than predicted in all groups, even in patients with correctly estimated severe TT (observed: 34%, estimated: 42+/-2%), and also in patients with initially overlooked TT (observed: 16%, estimated: 24+/-2%). CONCLUSION: Due to the high rate of misclassification and possible severe complications caused by therapy, and without having any benefit in terms of outcome, intubation and chest tube insertion should not be carried out in vital, stable patients.     

Management of the patient with rib fractures

Rib fractures commonly result from blunt chest wall trauma and are often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Patients often develop a vicious cycle of pain, requirement for opioid analgesia, respiratory dysfunction, hypostatic pneumonia and ultimately respiratory failure. This is more common in those with high-risk features such as increasing age, respiratory comorbidities and significant burden of injury. Poorly managed chest wall pain can lead to prolonged hospital stay, including critical care admission, invasive ventilation and increased likelihood of morbidity and death. Protocolized assessment and management is recommended to ensure high-risk patients are identified early and ensure that a holistic package of care including physiotherapy, incentive spirometry, multi-modal stepwise analgesia and laxatives are provided for all patients. Regional anaesthesia and surgical fixation should also be considered early for high-risk patients. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to maximize patient experience and outcome.     

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in serious chest injuries: is a pharmacological blockade effective?

PURPOSE: There has been an ongoing increase in the frequency and severity of blunt chest injuries. Their rather high lethality is caused by the injury alone as well as by the following systemic inflammatory response. The aim of the study is to verify the efficacy of the pharmacological blockade of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in serious blunt chest injuries, and to identify whether the administration of indomethacin as a cyclooxygenase inhibitor could prevent a multiorgan dysfunction (MODS) and a multiorgan failure (MOF). METHODS: Patients were divided into 4 Groups according to trauma severity--injury severity score (ISS) and into two subgroups--an indomethacin subgroup where patients received indomethacin together with standard therapy, and a non-indomethacin subgroup. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients were included in the study and 33 patients were given indomethacin. In Groups III and IV there was a later increase in inflammatory markers in patients treated with indomethacin. The elevation of inflammatory markers and the period of mechanical ventilation support in patients treated with indomethacin were shorter in Groups II and III. Seven (8.3%) patients died. Six of the seven dead patients were from the non-indomethacin subgroup. MOF was the cause of death in two patients in the non-indomethacin subgroup and in one patient in the indomethacin subgroup. CONCLUSION: The results obtained during the first 20 months of the study imply that a certain number of patients with serious blunt chest trauma could benefit from indomethacin administration.     

The high morbidity of blunt cerebrovascular injury in an unscreened population: more evidence of the need for mandatory screening protocols

BACKGROUND: Blunt cerebrovascular injuries are rare injuries causing substantial morbidity and mortality. The appropriate screening methods and treatment options for these injuries are controversial. We examined our experience with these injuries at a community Level I Trauma center over a 51 month period. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective review and analysis was done of all patients with the diagnosis of a blunt cerebrovascular injury during this period. RESULTS: Fourteen patients had blunt carotid injury (0.40%) and three had blunt vertebral injury (0.09%) out of 3,480 total blunt admissions. The overall incidence of blunt cerebrovascular injury was 0.49%. The most common associated injuries were to the head (59%) and chest (47%) regions. The overall mortality rate was 59% (10 of 17), with death occurring in 8 of 14 (57%) blunt carotid injury patients and 2 of 3 (67%) blunt vertebral injury patients. Eight of ten (80%) deaths were directly attributable to the blunt cerebrovascular injury. Median time until diagnosis was 12.5 h (range 1-336 h) for the entire group and 19.5 h for nonsurvivors. Diagnosis was delayed > 24h in 7 patients and > 48h in 5 patients. All five patients whose diagnoses were delayed > 48 h developed complications, and four (80%) of these patients died. CONCLUSIONS: Blunt cerebrovascular injury is uncommon, but lethal; particularly when the diagnosis is delayed. Aggressive screening protocols based on mechanism of injury, associated injuries, and physical findings are justified to minimize morbidity and mortality. Head and chest injuries may serve as markers for blunt cerebrovascular injury. Most deaths are directly attributable to the blunt cerebrovascular injury and not to associated injuries.     

Scapular fractures and concomitant injuries

Objective: The association of scapular fractures with other life-threatening injuries including blunt thoracic aortic injury is widely recognized.Few studies have investigated this presumed association...