• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.100-107
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• 2008

Purpose: A traumatic lung cyst (TLC) is a rare complication and is usually detected with a pulmonary contusion. This study attempted to identify the prognostic factors and the clinical characteristics for pulmonary contusion with TLCs. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and chest CT findings of 71 TLC patients who visited our hospital from January 2006 to December 2007. Patients were assessed for any clinical characteristics. We evaluated significant differences between the survival and the death groups for patients with a traumatic lung cyst. Results: The male-to-female ratio of patients with TLCs was 54:17, and the mean age of the patients was $37.70{\pm}19.78years$ with 36.6% of the patients being under 30 years fo age. The cause of blunt thoracic trauma was mainly pedestrian traffic accidents (26.8%) and falls (25.4%). Associated conditions included pulmonary contusion in 68 patients (95.7%), hemopneumothorax in 63 patients (88.7%), and rib fracture in 52 patitents (73.2%). There was no consistent relationship between the number of TLCs and the pulmonary contusion score. The overall mortality rate of TLC patients was 26.8%. Death correlated with a need for ventilatory assistance, mean arterial pressure, worst mean arterial pressure in 24 hours, initial pH and base excess, worst pH and base excess in 24 hours, refractory shock, initial GCS score, and pulmonary contusion score. Conclusion: The presence of the aforementioned predictors indicate serious injury, which is the main determinant of the outcome for thoracic injuries with TLCs.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2011

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the correlations among pulmonary contusion severity, trauma score and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) level. Methods: We prospectively evaluated patients with multiple injuries who had been admitted to the emergency department (ED) from July 2007 to July 2008. We first measured the total creatinine kinase (CK), the MB fraction of CK (CK-MB), TnI, and myoglobin within 2 hours after the injury. We then checked the electrocardiogram, x-ray, and computed tomography (CT) results. Finally, we assessed the injuries as variables and then compared the results for patients with elevated TnI levels (group A) and patients whose TnI levels fell within the normal range (group B). Results: Eighty-six of the 92 patients admitted to the ED were enrolled. The pulmonary contusion score (PCS) was well correlated with $PaO_2/FiO_2$. TnI levels were correlated with PCS. When TnI levels were above 0.86 ng/ml, the mortality was estimated with 100% sensitivity and 86.1% specificity. Conclusion: Pulmonary contusion severity is correlated with TnI level. When the PCS is high and the cTnI level is elevated in multiple-injury patients, we recommend continuous cardiac monitoring and further evaluation

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.10
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• pp.833-837
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• 1994

Lung contusion due to blunt chest trauma is the most common lung injury and correlated with the clinical course and prognosis. Its diagnosis by CT[Computerized Tomogram] gives a more clear and understandable three dimensional view, by which we are able to measure the volume of the contused and entire lung. Other variables are arterial blood gas, number of rib fracture, presence of hemopneumothorax, sternal fracture and clavicle fracture, number of associated non-thoracic injuries, ventilator time and presence of pulmonary complication. Percentage[%] of lung contusion are expressed as mean $\pm$ standard deviation and data analysis was performed by means of multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance to detect significant differences in variables between positive thoracic injury group and negative group. The paired t-test was used. Differences of percentage of lung contusion between groups were assessed by one-way analysis of variance. Simple linear regression was used to perform correlation analysis in the number of rib fracture and ventilator time. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Pneumothorax and the number of associated other injuries affect the amount of lung contusion and pulmonary complication group has more contused lung volume. Arterial blood gas study shows no correlation with the amount of lung contusion statistically. The number of rib fracture correlated with the amount of lung contusion, which also correlated with ventilator time[r=0.56, p<0.05]. In conclusion, quantitative anlysis of lung contusion by CT predicts the clinical course and treatment such as ventilator care.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.119-123
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• 2020

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread across the world and caused a pandemic. It can be transmitted by an infected person or an asymptomatic carrier and is a highly contagious disease. Prevention and early identification of COVID-19 are important to minimize the transmission of COVID-19. Chest computed tomography (CT) has a high sensitivity for detecting COVID-19, but relatively low specificity. Therefore, chest CT may be difficult to distinguish COVID-19 findings from those of other infectious (notably viral types of pneumonia) or noninfectious disease. Pulmonary contusion has also a lot of similarities on chest CT with COVID-19 pneumonia. We present trauma patients with pulmonary contusion whose CT scans showed findings similar to those of COVID-19, and we report our experience in the management of trauma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.346-354
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• 2017

Background: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a common disease that may contribute to morbidity and mortality among trauma patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study evaluated the associations between trauma factors and the development of VAP in ventilated patients with multiple rib fractures. Methods: We retrospectively and consecutively evaluated 101 patients with multiple rib fractures who were ventilated and managed at our hospital between January 2010 and December 2015, analyzing the associations between VAP and trauma factors in these patients. Trauma factors included sternal fracture, flail chest, diaphragm injury, traumatic aortic dissection, combined cardiac injury, pulmonary contusion, pneumothorax, hemothorax, hemopneumothorax, abbreviated injury scale score, thoracic trauma severity score, and injury severity score. Results: Forty-six patients (45.5%) had at least 1 episode of VAP, 10 (21.7%) of whom died in the ICU. Of the 55 (54.5%) patients who did not have pneumonia, 9 (16.4%) died in the ICU. Using logistic regression analysis, we found that VAP was associated with severe lung contusion (odds ratio, 3.07; 95% confidence interval, 1.12 to 8.39; p=0.029). Conclusion: Severe pulmonary contusion (pulmonary lung contusion score 6-12) is an independent risk factor for VAP in ventilated trauma patients with multiple rib fractures.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.1188-1191
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• 1995

Taumatic pulmonary pseudocyst is a rare complication of chest bunt trauma. Recently, we experienced a case of traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst in right lower lobe. The patient`s anterior chest was directly strucken by steering wheel and his car was intervened between two cars. He complained of both chest pain and dyspnea. He was diagnosed as multiple rib fractures with pulmonary contusion, initially. And then the right pulmonary lesion changed to traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst in 10 days after trauma. He was treated sucessfully with conservative management. In this article, we present the case and review the traumatic pulmonary pseudocyst with related articles.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.601-605
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• 1995

Clinical evaluations were performed on 54 cases of the traumatic sternal fracture, those were admitted and treated at the department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in Chosun University Hospital during the past 5 years period from January 1990 to December 1994. The frequency was about 7.8% of the nonpenetrating chest trauma. The ratio of male to female was 2 : 1 in male predominance. Average age was 45.7 years old and age distribution was from 18 to 80 years old. The most common cause in the sternal fracture were high decelerating injury[ 38 cases . The most common fracture site was sternal body. Associated intrathoracic organ injuries were cardiac contusion[11cases , hemopneumothorax and pulmonary contusion. Added, thoracic cage and extrathoracic organ injuries were rib fracture, head injuries, thoracic spinal fracture and long bone fracture. Abnormal ECG findings were sinus bradycardia[4 cases , sinus tachycardia[3 cases , bundle branch block, atrial fibrillaton, left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial ischemia. The average days of admission was 19.1 days. All patients were treated with conservative treatment. The complications after treatment were atelectasis[2 cases ,empyema[1 cases , ARDS[1 cases .

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.536-539
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• 2008

We present a case with a foreign body in the left pulmonary artery, found in a traffic accident victim. A 52-year-old woman sitting in the passenger side of a car had massive bleeding and near complete amputation of her right forearm in addition to multiple rib fractures and a hemopneumothorax. At arrival to the emergency room, the patient had signs of shock; she was anemic, drowsy and hypotensive. A large volume of blood and crystalloid fluids were administered via the left subclavian vein with a rapid infusion device (Level $1^{(R)}$). As the lung contusion improved, a foreign body was noticed in the left lung field on plain x-rays. Pulmonary angiography was performed and revealed a 15 cm foreign body in the left basal segment of the common pulmonary artery. The foreign body was successfully retrieved using vascular forceps via the percutaneous femoral vein approach.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.577-580
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• 1996

Traumatic pulmonary cysts are rare cavitary pulmonary lesions following nonpenetrating thoracic trauma. The pathogenesis of this lesion Is a tear in the pulmonary parenchyma with leakage of air and fluid into this tear. The diagnosis is one of exclusion, based on an awareness that lung cyst can develop after trauma. Once traumatic lung cyst is diagnosed, the principle of the treatment is in-hospital obser- vation with respirato y support. However, if a cyst is complicated by infection unresponsive to a trial of appropriate antibiotic therapy and does not progressively become smaller, surgical intervention is indicated. Authors recently experienced a case of traumatic lung cyst in a 19 year-old man. Case presentation and review of articles on traumatic pulmonary cyst follows.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.285-291
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• 2010

Background: Thoracic trauma is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. A rib fracture that is secondary to blunt thoracic trauma is an important indicator of the severity of the trauma. The purpose of study was to determine the morbidity and mortality rates and the management of rib fractures. Material and Method: We performed a retrospective study that involved all the blunt trauma patients with rib fractures, excluding those that were transferred to other hospital within 3 days, that were seen at our hospital between May 2002 and December 2008. Of the 474 admitted patients, 454 met the inclusion criteria. There were 356 male and 98 females, and their overall mean age was 53 years (range: 5~90 years). The outcome parameters included the mechanism of injury, the number of fractured ribs, the length of stay in the ICU, the Injury Severity Score (ISS), the length of the hospital stay, the pulmonary complications and the mortality. Result: The mechanism of trauma included traffic accidents in 189 (41.7%) cases, slipping down in 103 (22.7%) cases, falls in 85 (18.7%) cases, cultivator accidents in 30 (6.6%) cases, industrial accidents in 32 (7.0%) cases and assault in 15 (3.3%) cases. Intrathoracic injury was noted such as hemothorax in 269 (59.3%) cases, pneumothorax in 144 (31.7%) cases, pulmonary contusion in 95 (20.9%) cases, subcutaneous emphysema in 29 (6.4%) cases and great vessel injury in 5 (0.1%) cases. Conservative treatment was administered to most of the patients. Tube thoracostomy was administered in 234 (51.5%) cases, whereas thoracotomy was performed in 18 (4.0%) cases. The mean duration of thoracostomy was $5.2{\pm}6.2$ days. Most of the cases with rib fracture were treated in wards and their mean duration of hospital stay was $22.5{\pm}20$ days. The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was $14.8{\pm}10.9$ (range: 3~75). The mortality rate was calculated to be 4.8% (n=22). The main factors correlated with an adverse outcome were the number of ribs fractured, the duration of thoracostomy and pulmonary disease. Industrial insurance affected the length of hospitalization. Pulmonary contusion and the Injury Severity Score (ISS) affected the mortality. Conclusion: Rib fractures are a indicator of severe injury. Because of the complication and associated injuries, we believe these patients should be admitted for evaluation and treatment. Recent studies on the impact of rib fractures after blunt trauma have shown that patients as young as 40 years of age demonstrate increased morbidity and mortality with similar injuries as compared to that of older patients. The ISS and pulmonary contusion influenced the mortality rate. Patients with isolated rib fractures should be hospitalized if the number of fractured ribs is one or more.