Chest trauma

Editor in Chief: Liudvikas Jagminas, M.D., FACEP [mailto:LJagminas@mhri.org] Phone: 401-729-2419

Overview
Chest trauma (or thoracic trauma) is a serious injury of the chest. Thoracic trauma is a common cause of significant disability and mortality. Thoracic injuries account for approximately 25% of all trauma-related deaths.

Classification
Chest trauma can be classified as blunt or penetrating. Blunt and penetrating injuries have different pathophysiologies and clinical courses. Most blunt injuries are managed with relatively simple interventions like intubation and mechanical ventilation and chest tube insertion. Diagnosis of blunt injuries may be more difficult and require additional investigations such as CT scanning. Penetrating injuries often require surgery, and complex investigations are usually not needed to come to a diagnosis. Patients with penetrating trauma may deteriorate rapidly, but may also recover much faster than patients with blunt injury.

Specific chest injuries

 * Chest wall contusion / hematoma
 * Rib fractures
 * Flail chest
 * Pneumothorax
 * Hemothorax
 * Hemopneumothorax
 * Pericardial tamponade
 * Myocardial contusion
 * Sternal fractures
 * Fractures of the clavicle and shoulder girdle
 * Pulmonary injury
 * Traumatic aortic rupture / Thoracic aorta injury
 * Diaphragm injury
 * Tracheobronchial tear
 * Esophageal injury