Experiences with chest trauma: Where do we stand today

Abstract

Background and Aims: Chest trauma is a major public health problem in India, but only few studies have been conducted to analyze its magnitude and management. The present study was carried out to determine the epidemiological profile of chest trauma cases and to analyze the management strategies with an aim to identify the scope of improvement in our setup. Materials and Methods: It is a retrospective study of cases admitted with chest trauma, to a tertiary care hospital. Records of the patients admitted to the hospital with chest trauma over a period of one year were analyzed for the patients' demographic profile; mechanism, nature and severity of injuries; associated injuries; management and outcome of cases. Results: Out of a total of 105 patients, most were males, belonged to age group of 21-40 years and suffered blunt trauma. Motor vehicle accident was the commonest mechanism of injury. The interval from injury to admission ranged from one hour, to more than 24 hours. Eight patients were admitted to the ICU, out of which 5 required ventilatory support. The most frequently used analgesics in the wards were non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAID). Ninety one patients improved, while seven patients died in the hospital. Conclusions: Chest trauma due to blunt injury is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in young males. Despite limitations of resources and manpower, attempts are being made to manage patients successfully. However, creation of dedicated trauma teams with well-designed management protocols in hospitals can further improve the outcome.

Study of Clinical Profile and Outcome of 216 Victims of Chest Trauma in Tertiary Care Centre of Central India

“…More than half of the patients (55.5%) were between 21 to 40 years. M. Mohta et al, (2) reported 49.55% patients in their study of 105 in the same age group (21-40 years). Massaga et al (3) had 43.75% patients from age group of 30 to 49 years.…”

“…M. Mohta et al, (2) reported 785 of the patients out of 105 suffered blunt injuries in their study. Few studies have shown penetrating injuries to be the commonest cause of chest trauma.…”

“…Monafishha et al (4) reported male incidence of 79.35 in the study of 150 cases. In the study by M. Mohta et al, (2) 95 out of 105 patients of chest trauma were males.…”

A Study of 50 Cases of Chest Injury in Trauma Patients

“…Other authors have reported similar experience. 1,8,9 Increased automobile traffic and ever increasing population together with intentional or unintentional ignorance of traffic rules account for the predominance of road side accidents producing chest trauma. Right side lung was most commonly (58%) injured following chest trauma in our study, left side in 26% cases while bilateral involvement was seen in 16% cases.…”

“…Chest trauma constitutes about 10-15% of all the trauma cases and is responsible for 25% death due to trauma 1 . Trauma to chest may occur due to fall from height, road traffic accidents, assault or being hit by an object or an animal.…”