Disruption in the intrathoracic trachea due to blunt trauma.
Intrathoracic tracheal disruption by blunt trauma is rare and potentially life threatening. Here report 3 cases of intrathoracic tracheal disruption due to blunt trauma. Two cases, each 43 year old, involved an unrestrained male driver who suffered a head-on crash, while the other, 63 year old, involved a male who suffered compression. Chest roentgenograms on admission showed remarkable deep cervical and mediastinal emphysema in Cases 1 and 2 and mediastinal emphysema alone in Case 3. Bronchoscopy revealed disruption in the trachea. Primary repair was performed through a right posterolateral thoracotomy in Cases 1 and 3 and through a median sternotomy in Case 2. In all cases the postoperative course was uneventful.
Hattori
Y
Y
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
Negi
K
K
Watanabe
K
K
Takeda
I
I
Iriyama
T
T
Sugimura
S
S
D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D014132:Trachea / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications*