Abstract
BackgroundEsophageal perforation after external air-blast trauma is rarely presented in the emergency room. The diagnosis is often delayed more than 24 hours.MethodsWe review the literature and report a case of esophageal perforation caused by external air-blast injury.ResultsIncluding the present case, a total of 5 cases of esophageal perforation were caused by external air-blast injury in English literature. Of them, the common presentations were chest pain and dyspnea. The treatment methods varied with each case. One patient died before diagnosis of esophageal perforation and the others survived after proper surgical management.ConclusionsEarly diagnosis and proper surgical management can reduce the morbidity and mortality of patients who suffered from esophageal perforation caused by external air-blast injury.
Highlights
Esophageal perforation after external air-blast trauma is rarely presented in the emergency room
Five cases including the present case of esophageal perforation caused by external air-blast injury were reviewed (Table 1)
One died before the diagnosis of esophageal perforation was made, and the others survived after proper surgical management
Summary
Esophageal perforation after external air-blast trauma is rarely presented in the emergency room. Four cases of esophageal rupture caused by an external air-blast injury were found in a perusal of the English literature [1,2,3,4]. Present Case A 31-year-old man was struck on the right side of the face and left subcostal region at work when a nitrogen tank exploded four hours after he had eaten his lunch. He was knocked down to the ground and dazed, without loss of consciousness. He was immediately sent to the emergency department with a presentation of left chest pain and dyspnea. An emergency left tube thoracostomy was performed, because his left-sided breath sounds had decreased, with a suspicion of pneumothorax
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