[Thoracic trauma: an analysis of 521 patients].
BACKGROUND
We evaluated thoracic trauma cases with regard to etiologic causes, treatment methods, outcome, and factors affecting the results in the light of our experience and relevant literature data.


METHODS
A retrospective evaluation was made of 521 patients (399 males, 122 females; mean age 42 years; range 4 to 93 years) who were treated for thoracic trauma from September 1997 to August 2002.


RESULTS
Isolated thoracic trauma and multisystem trauma were found in 348 (67%) and 173 (33%) patients, respectively. Blunt injuries accounted for 87%, the most common cause being traffic accidents (62%), and penetrating injuries accounted for 13%. The most frequent thoracic pathologies included multiple (56%) and single (24%) rib fractures, and flail chest (8.4%). Extrathoracic injuries were seen in 33.2%, the extremities (41%) and the skull (40%) being the most commonly involved. Treatment consisted of symptomatic treatment in 159 patients (30.5%), tube thoracostomy in 337 patients (64.6%), and thoracotomy in 15 patients (2.9%). In isolated thoracic trauma and multisystem trauma, morbidity rates were 3.4% and 22%, and mortality rates were 2.5% and 16.2%, respectively. The overall mortality was 7.1% (37 patients). The mean length of hospital stay was 7.1 days (range 1 to 64 days).


CONCLUSIONS
A great majority of thoracic trauma patients can be treated with conservative methods or tube thoracostomy. Accompanying multisystem traumas are associated with dramatic increases in morbidity and mortality rates.
Başoğlu
Ahmet
A
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Medicine Faculy of Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey. ahmetb@omu.edu.tr
Akdağ
Ali Osman
AO
Celik
Burçin
B
Demircan
Sedat
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013907:Thoracostomy; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy