Polytrauma with thoracic and/or abdominal injuries: experience in 1 540 cases.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the early diagnosis and treatment of polytrauma patients with thoracic and/or abdominal injuries.


METHODS
The data of all polytrauma patients with thoracic and/or abdominal injuries during the past 10 years were studied retrospectively.


RESULTS
In the present study, there were 1 540 polytrauma patients, accounting for 65.0% of all 2 368 trauma patients. Of these patients, 62.4% were in shock state on admission. The operative rates were 15.0% (181/1 206) and 79.9% (612/766) in patients with thoracic and abdominal injury (P<0.01), 5.2% (39/758) and 31.7% (142/448) in patients with blunt and penetrating chest trauma (P<0.01), and 72.45% (359/496) and 93.7% (253/270) in patients with blunt and penetrating abdominal injuries (P<0.01), respectively. To deal with abdominal injury, angioembolization was performed in 43 cases, with 42 cured. The overall mortality rate was 6.2%. And in the blunt and penetrating subgroups, the mortalities were 7.9% (75/950) and 3.6% (21/590), respectively (P<0.01). Most patients died from exsanguination.


CONCLUSIONS
The first "golden hour" after trauma should be grasped, since the treatment in this hour can determine greatly whether the critically-injured victim could survive. Prompt diagnosis and proper treatment contribute more greatly to the survival of the victim than the severity of injury.
Department of Traumatology, Chongqing Emergency Medical Center, Chongqing 400014, China. gaojinmou2002@sina.com
Jin-Mou
JM
Gao
Yun-Han
YH
Gao
Jian-Bo
JB
Zeng
Jian-Bai
JB
Wang
Ping
P
He
Gong-Bin
GB
Wei
Zhen
Z
Xiang
D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy