Abstract
The majority of thoracic trauma can be managed by conservative methods such as chest tube insertion and observation. Only 15–30% of penetrating chest trauma requires thoracotomy.
Massive bleeding from pulmonary lacerations can temporarily be controlled by clamping of the hilum with a large vascular clamp. Injuries to the lung parenchyma should always be treated with the technique with the least possible physiologic insult such as pneumorrhaphy and tractotomy. Tracheobronchial injuries should be suspected in cases with subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum and insufficient expansion of the lung in spite of chest tube drainage. After adequate debridement of the bronchus or trachea, a primary end-to-end anastomosis with mucosa-to-mucosa apposition is done. Small tracheobronchial injuries can sometimes be treated conservatively.
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© 2012 Springer Berlin Heidelberg
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Zigiriadis, E., Loogna, P., Yilmaz, T.H. (2012). Pulmonary and Bronchotracheal Trauma. In: Velmahos, G., Degiannis, E., Doll, D. (eds) Penetrating Trauma. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20453-1_33
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20453-1_33
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