Abstract
Thoracic trauma accounts for nearly 25% of deaths secondary to blunt trauma. The most common chest injury is a rib fracture, which can be associated with a mortality risk as high as 35%. Other injuries include pneumothorax, hemothorax, esophageal injury, aortic transection, blunt cardiac injury, tracheobronchial disruption, and pulmonary contusion. The majority of thoracic injuries can be treated successfully with either observation or tube thoracostomy and general supportive care alone. Independent contributors to mortality include inadequate pain control, poor pulmonary hygiene, failure to intubate appropriately, and excessive crystalloid-based resuscitation. This review contains 3 figures, 5 tables and 64 references Key words: aorta, bronchus, esophagus, hemothorax, pneumothorax, pulmonary contusion, rib fracture, thoracic, trachea, tracheobronchial
Published Version
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