• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.575-578
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• 1993

A tracheoesophageal fistula following blunt chest trauma is rare, with only slightly more than 40 cases having been reported since 1936. With the increased incidence of blunt chest trauma from traffic accidents, it may be anticipated that this complication will be seen more frequently in the future. This report describes successfully managed two cases with such lesion. The pathophysiology and management of such lesion are discussed with a review of the literatures.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.627-629
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• 2003

The pneumopericardium following blunt chest trauma is exceedingly unusual. A patient was admitted to the emergency room after a motorcycle accident. Pneumopericardium and left pneumothorax were not detected on initial chest AP, but they were detected on chest computed tomograpy and resolved completely after chest tube insertion into the left pleural space.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.416-420
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• 2023

Blunt intrathoracic tracheal injuries are rare, even among blunt chest trauma patients. An early diagnosis based on a high index of suspicion allows for timely surgical management of potentially fatal airway trauma, thereby improving overall outcomes. Diagnosing these injuries can be difficult due to their nonspecific clinical features and the occasional difficulty in radiologic diagnosis. If a patient exhibits respiratory compromise with difficult ventilation and poor lung expansion, despite the insertion and management of an intercostal drain following high-energy blunt trauma, there should be a heightened suspicion of potential airway trauma. The aim of primary repair is to restore airway integrity and to minimize the loss of pulmonary parenchyma function. This case report discusses the rare clinical presentation of a patient with blunt trauma to the intrathoracic airway, the surgical management thereof, and his overall outcome. Although blunt traumatic injuries of the trachea are extremely rare and often fatal, early surgical intervention can potentially reduce the risk of mortality.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.188-190
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• 2010

Sternal fracture is relatively common after blunt chest trauma, and this usually resolves without complication. But acute extrapericardial tamponade caused by sternal fracture and injury to the internal mammary artery secondary to blunt chest trauma is very rare. We report here on two cases of acute extrapericardial tamponade that were caused by blunt chest trauma.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.296-299
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• 2012

The aorta is the most common major thoracic artery injured by blunt chest trauma. Injuries to major aortic arch branch arteries can also occur but are much less common than aortic injuries in the setting of blunt trauma. Although internal mammary artery (IMA) injury is uncommon and rarely diagnosed in cases of blunt chest trauma, it is one of the important sources of bleeding in chest trauma. IMA bleeding can cause ongoing blood loss and may lead to serious conditions such as extensive hemothorax, anterior mediastinal hematoma or its catastrophic complication, cardiac tamponade. However such arotic and branch artery injuries are not easily detected by plain radiograph, and are detected indirectly because of associated mediastinal hematoma. Herein, we report a case of IMA injury caused by blunt chest trauma secondary to pedestrian traffic accident. The injured patient was successfully treated by transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE).

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.418-423
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• 1979

Chest injuries due to blunt trauma often result in severe derangements that lead to death. And we have to diagnose and treat the patients who have blunt chest trauma immediately and appropriately. A clinical analysis was made on 324 cases of chest injury due to blunt trauma experienced at department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University during 8-year period from 1972 to 1979. Of 324 patients of blunt chest injuries, there were 189 cases of rib fracture, 121 of hemothorax or/and pneumothorax, 108 of soft tissue injury of the chest wall only, 41 of lung contusion, 24 of flail chest, 13 of scapular fracture, 7 of diaphragmatic rupture and others. The majority of blunt chest injury patients were traffic accident victims and falls accounted for the next largest group of accidents. Chest injuries were frequently encountered in the age group between 3rd decade and 4th decade [60%] and 238 patients were male comparing to 86 of female [Male: Female = 3:1 ]. In the patients who have the more number of fractured ribs, the more incidence of intrathoracic injury and intraabdominal organ damage were found. The principal associated injuries were head injury on 58 cases, long bone fractures on 37, skull fractures on 12, pelvic fractures on 10, renal injuries on 6 and intraabdominal organ injuries on 5 patients. The principle of early treatment of chest injury due to blunt trauma were rapid reexpansion of the lung by closed thoracotomy which was indicated on 96 cases, but open thoractomy was necessary on 14 cases because massive bleeding, intrapleural hematoma and/or fibrothorax, or diaphragmatic laceration-On 15 cases who were young and have multiple rib fracture with severe dislocation delayed elective open reduction of the fractured ribs with wire was done on the purpose of preserving normal active life. The over all mortality was 2.8% [9 of 324 cases] due to head injury on 3 cases, massive bleeding on 2,wet lung syndrome, acute renal failure on 1 and septicemia on 1 patient.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.68-71
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• 1994

A tracheo-esophageal fistula following from blunt chest trauma is one of less common lesion and few guidelines are available to direct its optimal management. Herein, we report a 24-year-old man injured in a motor vehicular accident sustained a nonpenetrating double blowout injury of the thorax and large tracheoesophageal fistula occurred. Tracheal defect required resection and reconstruction, of which the membranous portion underwent closure with borrowed adjacent esophageal wall primarily and substernal left colon interposition was performed 4 weeks later.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.402-405
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• 2014

Myocardial infarction (MI) secondary to coronary artery fistula and the subsequent occlusion of the distal right coronary artery (RCA) after blunt chest trauma is a rare entity. Here, we describe a case of coronary artery fistula and occlusion with an inferior MI that occurred following blunt chest trauma. At the initial visit to the emergency room after a car accident, this patient had been undiagnosed with acute myocardial infarction, readmitted five months after ischemic insult, and revealed to have experienced MI due to RCA-right atrial fistula and occlusion of the distal RCA. He underwent coronary surgery and recovered without complications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.1014-1016
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• 1990

Pseudocysts of lung by blunt chest trauma are rare lesion with 1 to 2 % incidence. The symptoms are nonspecific and misled or confused with lung abscess or congenital cystic disease of lung occasionally. Diagnosis is not difficult by radiographic findings and history of blunt chest trauma. There courses are benign and spontaneously absorbed and require no specific treatment mostly. Recently, we had the one case of 8 year-old female with traumatic lung cyst and its cavities filled the entire right lower lobe. The destruction of lung was severe, so, right lower lobectomy was done and recovered, discharged without event.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.924-927
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• 1995

Main bronchial injury after blunt trauma is very rare in all bronchial injuries and the pathogenesis is variable and not well known in everycases. We report a case of complete transsection of right main bronchus by blunt trauma. This 24-year old patient was transferred from a local hospital with a chest tube. Because of the severe subcutaneous emphysema and tension pneumothorax, we inserted one more chest tube resulting no obvious interval change. With the impression of bronchial injury, we performed an exploratory thoracotomy. We couldn't proceed bronchoscopy in the operation room because of his unstable vital sign. After opening of the chest wall, we could identify completely transsected right main bronchus. We anastomosed the bronchus with 4~0 Vicryl interruptedly. After operation, the patient was recovered without any complication.