• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 1975

This is a case report of the rupture of the trachea and the esophagus following external blunt trauma without any associated injury. A 7 year old male patient was brought to the emergency room. Hanyang University Hospital, on 23 Jul, 1974 while he played under the pile of pingpong table A table was fall down over the patient accidentally. The patient was injured by the table and found lying in unconsciousness on the ground.There was subcutaneous emphysema on his anterior chest and neck. A contusion on the upper part of the sternum was noted. The breathing sound were diminished over the left side of the chest. Ronchi were heard over the right lung field. This patient was suffered from vomiting, dypsnea, and irritable mental state after this accident. On the chest roentgenogram in A-P view, hyperlucency at the mediastinum and parapericardiac area suggested the pneumomediastinum. On the next day, a diagnosis of the tracheal and esophageal rupture was confirmed by the esophagogram with Lipiodol swallowing. A right thoracotomy was performed and ruptured orifice of the trachea and the esophagus were closed with interrupted sutures. Postoperative course was uneventful and primary closure of the rupture of the trachea and the esophagus were succeeded.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.133-136
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• 2008

Injury to the internal mammary artery secondary to blunt chest trauma is a rare condition. It is also uncommon to see extraplerual and mediastinal hematoma in these circumstances; this demands early diagnosis and active treatment. We report here on a 59 year old man who underwent surgery for extraplerual and mediastinal hematoma, and this was all due to injury of the internal mammary artery after blunt chest trauma. We also include a review of the relevant literature.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.107-110
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• 2019

Bilateral chylothorax due to blunt trauma is extremely rare. We report a 74-year-old patient that developed delayed bilateral chylothorax after falling off a ladder. The patient had a simple 12th rib fracture and T12 lamina fracture. All other findings seemed normal. He was sent home and on the 5th day visited our emergency center at Halla Hospital with symptoms of dyspnea and lower back pain. Computer tomography of his chest presented massive fluid collection in his right pleural cavity and moderate amounts in his left pleural cavity with 12th rib fracture and T11-12 intervertebral space widening with bilateral facet fractures. Chest tubes were placed bilaterally and chylothorax through both chest tubes was discovered. Conservative treatment for 2 weeks failed, and thus, thoracic duct ligation was done by video assisted thoracoscopic surgery. Thoracic duct embolization was not an option. Postoperatively, the patient is now doing well and happy with the results. Early surgical treatment must be considered in the old patient, whom large amounts of chylothorax are present.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.67-70
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• 2015

Traumatic tricuspid regurgitation is a rare complication of blunt chest trauma caused by chordal rupture, anterior papillary muscle rupture and anterior leaflet tear. Since clinical symptoms are vague, early diagnosis is difficult and some patient exhibit symptoms of right heart failure. Right heart failure has been the traditional indication for surgical treatment, such as tricuspid valve replacement. Recently, early detection using transthoracic echocardiography and surgical treatment, like valve repair, prior to overt right heart failure have been shown to better prognosis. We report a case of traumatic tricuspid regurgitation with chordal rupture in patient due to traffic accident.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.791-797
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• 1993

We evaluated forty cases of traumatic diaphragmatic ruptures that we have experienced from Mar. 1976 to Mar. 1992. Thirty patients were male and 10 were female[M:F=3:1]. The age distribution was ranged from 2 to 76 years with the mean age of 35 years. The traumatic diaphragmatic ruptures were due to blunt trauma in 26 cases[traffic accident 20, fall down 4, others 2] and penetrating trauma in 14 cases[stab wound 13, gun shot 1]. In the blunt trauma, 21 of 26 cases were diagnosed within 24 hours after injury and all cases except one in penetrating trauma were diagnosed within 24 hours. In the blunt trauma, the rupture site was located in the left in 20 cases and in the right in 6 cases. In the penetrating trauma, the rupture site was located in the left in 10 cases and in the right in 4 cases. The repair of 40 cases were performed with thoracic approach in 19 cases, thoracoabdominal approach in 17 cases and abdominal approach in 4 cases. The postoperative mortality was 7.5 %[3/40]. The causes of death were septic shock[1], acute renal failure[1] and hypovolemic shock[1].

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.153-155
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• 2018

Concomitant rupture of the subclavian vessels and the left main bronchus caused by blunt trauma is a serious condition. Moreover, the diagnosis of a tracheobronchial injury with rupture of the subclavian vessels can be difficult. This report describes the case of a 33-year-old man who suffered from blunt trauma that resulted in the rupture of the left subclavian artery and vein. The patient underwent an operation for vascular control. O n postoperative day 3, the left main bronchus was found to be transected on a computed tomography scan and bronchoscopy. The transected bronchus was anastomosed in an end-to-end fashion. He recovered without any notable problems. Although the bronchial injury was not detected early, this case of concomitant rupture of the great vessels and the airway was successfully treated after applying extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.174-177
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• 1990

Aortic dissection is a challenging disease and the causes of that are well-known. Blunt chest trauma is one of the causes of aortic dissection. In such cases, nearly all cases involves the isthmic portion of descending aorta, but ascending aorta is involved in about 10. We experienced a patient who had ascending aortic dissection due to automobile accident and who showed spontaneous rupture of the aorta during operation. In this case, after installation of aortic line via left femoral artery, ascending aorta ruptured and a large amount of blood gushed out, which was suckered by cardiotomy sucker. A little delay of cardiopulmonary bypass may cause the fatal outcome in such a case because the bleeding from aorta is too much to be controlled. Fortunately, we controlled the bleeding with cardiopulmonary bypass and got the good outcome of this patient by interpositioning the vascular graft. One should suspect the possibility of aortic dissection in blunt chest trauma, and prepare all the facilities against bleeding due to rupture.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.148-156
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• 1976

Acute respiratory failure has become an increasingly frequent cause of death following shock or trauma. Interstitial or diffuse alveolar edema, as chief pathophysiologic change of acute respiratory insufficiency, can be the result of sepsis, fat embolism, cardiac failure, lung congestion, and oxygen toxicity. These pulmonary problems are extremely difficult to treat without early recognition of their development and aggressive management. If the treatment is delayed, the progressive respiratory failure is almost uniformly fatal. Authors have experienced two cases of acute respiratory insufficiency following the blunt chest trauma, which were healed uneventfully. Literatures were briefly reviewed.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.186-190
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• 2020

Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has been increasingly used in recent years as a resuscitative adjunct for trauma patients with life-threatening non-compressible torso hemorrhage. By blocking the aorta temporarily with an inflated balloon, REBOA preserves cerebral and coronary perfusion while diminishing exsanguination below the balloon, thereby providing time for resuscitation and definitive bleeding control. When determining the occlusion zone during the REBOA procedure, factors such tortuosity of the aorta, co-occurring minor chest injuries, and the severity of shock must be considered, as well as the main injury site. This paper describes a case of high Zone I REBOA in an elderly patient with a tortuous aorta who had concomitant injuries of the chest and pelvis.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.356-360
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• 2021

Treating cardiac injuries following blunt trauma to the chest requires thorough examination, accurate diagnosis, and therapeutic plan. We present two cases; pulmonary vein rupture and left atrial appendage laceration, both as a result of blunt chest trauma. Through these cases, our team learned the importance of maintaining hemodynamic stability during the examination of injured cardiac structures. And based on the comprehensive cardiac examination, a decision to surgically intervene with median sternotomy via cardiopulmonary bypass was made, saving lives of the patient. This report introduces how such decision was made based on what supporting evidence and the diagnostic process leading to the initiation of surgical intervention. This report may help with decision-making process when confronted by blunt cardiac injury patients who need cardiac exploration.