Surgery, gynecology & obstetrics
-
Surg Gynecol Obstet · Aug 1992
Comparative StudyExigent postinjury thoracotomy analysis of blunt versus penetrating trauma.
We reviewed the recent experience with urgent thoracotomy performed in the operating room (OR) to compare the relative indications and injury pattern after blunt versus penetrating trauma. Among 2,316 patients admitted with acute trauma of the chest, excluding 319 undergoing thoracotomy at the emergency department, 83 required urgent OR thoracotomy; 27 patients (3 percent) sustained blunt trauma, 32 (4 percent) had stab wounds (SW) and 24 (7 percent) had gunshot wounds (GSW). The indications for operation after blunt trauma were shock (48 percent) and angiographically defined great vessel injuries (48 percent). ⋯ The most common indication for urgent thoracotomy after penetrating injuries was excessive chest tube output (37.5 percent). Excluding torn DTA, only 14 of 822 patients (1.7 percent) admitted with blunt chest trauma required urgent thoracotomy and 13 of these patients (93 percent) presented in a state of refractory shock because of active thoracic hemorrhage. Thus, in contrast with penetrating wounds, urgent thoracotomy for blunt trauma is rarely justified on the basis of chest tube output alone.