Emergent management of chest injuries

Abstract

Chest injuries being either due to blunt and, or penetrating trauma, can cause death during the first minutes or hours after trauma and often are associated with bleeding with injuries interfering with respiration, circulation and, or both. Penetrating trauma is always surgically treated and the foreign body is removed in the operating room (OR). Life-threatening conditions,  such as tension pneumothorax have to be treated by thorax drainage prior to hospital admission. Patients requiring emergency thoracotomy are either in shock or have life threatening injuries and, as expected, have significant mortality and morbidity. Patients may present with a simple dyspnea or even respiratory arrest. Adequate pain control in chest trauma is sometimes the most basic and best treatment and with a definite diagnosis, the morbidity and mortality can be significantly reduced by simple treatment methods and after the Primary and Secondary survey, constant reevaluation of the patient ensures that new findings are not overlooked.