Archivos de bronconeumología
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Stab wounds are the most common cause of open chest wounds in our setting, with an incidence far higher than either wounds caused by firearms or bull horns. We describe a series of 49 patients, 44 (89.8%) men and 5 (10.2%) women. Mean age was 31 years. ⋯ One patient died as a result of abdominal lesions resulting from stab wounds directly to the abdomen. We are in favor of conservative management. Indications for more aggressive intervention are hypovolemic shock, cardiac tamponade or significant loss of fluid through the thoracic drain.