• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.71-74
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• 2015

Penetrating neck trauma involving spinal cord injury is relatively uncommon, but can be life-threatening. We report a case of 59-year-old female who presented with hypotension after stab injury self-inflicted with a scissor to her neck. Although Open removal of the scissor and control of bleeding were successfully done, penetration of spinal cord resulted in a neurologic impairment.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2016

Purpose: Tracheobronchial injuries caused by trauma are rare, but can be life threatening. The objective of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcome for patients with tracheobronchial injuries and to determine the difference, if any, between the outcomes for patients with penetrating trauma and those for patients with blunt trauma. Methods: From January 2010 to June 2015, 40 patients underwent tracheobronchial repair surgery due to trauma. We excluded 14 patients with iatrogenic injuries, and divided the remaining 26 into two groups. Results: In the blunt trauma group, injury mechanisms were motor vehicle accident (9 cases), free falls (3 cases), flat falls (1 case) and mechanical injury (1 case). In the penetrating trauma group, injury mechanisms were stab wounds (10 cases), a gunshot wound (1 case) and a stab wound caused by metal pieces (1 case). The mean RTS (Revised Trauma Score) was $6.89{\pm}1.59$ (range: 2.40-7.84) and the mean ISS (Injury Severity Score) was $24.36{\pm}7.16$ (range: 11-34) in the blunt group; the mean RTS was $7.56{\pm}0.41$ (range: 7.11-7.84), and the mean ISS was $13{\pm}5.26$ (range: 9-25) in the penetrating trauma group. In the blunt trauma group, 9 primary repairs, 1 resection with end-end anastomosis, 2 lobectomies, 1 sleeve bronchial resection and 1 pneumonectomy were performed. In the penetrating trauma group, 10 primary repairs and 2 resections with end-end anastomosis were performed. Complications associated with surgery were found in one patient in the blunt trauma group, and one patient in the penetrating trauma group. No mortalities occurred in either groups. Conclusion: Surgical management of a traumatic tracheobronchial injury is a safe procedure for both patients with a penetrating trauma and those with a blunt trauma.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.45-56
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• 1972

Esophageal perforation is one of the most grave prognostic problems among thoracic and general surgical emergencies which necessitate urgent operative measures. In Korea,there are still many persons ingesting lye for suicidal attempt and thoracic surgeons in Korea have more chances to deal with lye burned esophagus with or without instrumental perforation than those in Western countries. Main cause of esophageal perforation in Korea is instrumental perforation in patients with lye stricture of the esophagus during diagnostic endoscopy or therapeutic bouginage. Other causes are corrosion of the esophagus due to ingestion of caustic agents, pathologic perforation, surgical trauma, stab wound and spontaneous rupture of the esophagus in our series. Therapeutic measures are various,and depend on duration of perforation, severity of its complications, pathology of perforated portion of the esophagus and degrees of inflammation at the point of perforation. The most important therapeutic measures are prevention of this grave condition during esophagoscopy, bouginage and surgical procedures on lungs and mediastinal structures and to make early diagnosis with prompt therapeutic measures. During the period of January, 1959, to December, 1971, the authors experienced 65 cases ofesophageal perforation including acquired esophagorespiratory fistula at Dept. of Chest Surgery, the National Medical Center in Seoul, and obtained following results in the series. 1. Female were 35 cases, and peak age incidence was 2nd and 3rd decades of life. 2. Among 65 cases, 43 were corrosive esophagitis or benign stricture of the esophagus due to caustic agents, 7 were patients with esophageal cancer. and there were 5 cases of esophageal perforation developed after pneumonectomy or pleuropneumonectomy. 3. Causes of perforation are instrumental perforation in 45, acute corrosion in 7, pathologic perforation in 7, surgical trauma in 3, stab wound in 2 cases, and one spontaneous rupture of the esophagus. 4. Most frequent sites of esophageal perforation were upper and mid thoracic esophagus, and 8 were cases with cervical esophageal perforation. 5. Complications of esophageal perforation were mediastinitis in 42, empyema or pneumothorax in 35, esophagorespiratory fistula in 12, retroperitoneal fistula or abscess in 5,pneumoperitoneum in 3, and localized peritonitis in 1 case. 6. Cases with malignant esophagorespiratory fistula were only 3 in the series which is predominant cause of acquired esophagorespiratory fistula in Western countries. 7. Various therapeutic measures were applied with mortality rate of 27.7% in the series. 8. In usual cases early treatment gave better prognosis, and least mortality rate in cases with perforation in mid thoracic esophagus. 9. Main causes of death were respiratory complications,acute hemorrhage with asphyxia, and septic complications. 10. Esophageal perforation developed after pneumonectomy gave more difficult therapeutic problems which were solved in only 1 among 5 cases.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.421-428
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• 1986

From January 1981 through December 1985, 481 thoracic civilian injuries were reviewed in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Paik Hospital in Seoul. Sixty two percent of the injuries were caused by traffic accident, 18% fall down, 15% blunt trauma, 2% crushing injury, 2% stab wound, and 0.4% gunshot wound. Peak incidence of the trauma victim was fourth and fifth decades revealing 22% and 27% respectively. Sex ratio was 3.5:1 with male predominance. Elapsed time before admission was less than one hour in 36% and one to six hour in 30%. The types of the injuries were as follows: Non-penetrating injuries were the most part of the wounded, 97.6%. Rib fracture was the most common lesion occupying 292 patient out of 481 [61%]. Of these 292 patients, 72% was multiple rib fracture. The incidence of hemothorax or hemopneumothorax was 19% [102 patients] [Table 4]. Most common associated condition was head injuries, 98 patients [14%]. Thoracoabdominal injuries were seen in 31 patients [0.6%]. Tube thoracostomy was the definitive measures in the 20% of the wounded. Open thoractomy was performed in 5%. Additional procedures for the associated condition were done in the 16% of the cases, for example, reduction of long bone fracture and trephination for the head injury. Among 481 wounded, fatal complication occurred in 13 patients [2.7%]. This paper has also compared two series of patients according to period; one from 1970 to 1980 and the present series [Table 8]. Conclusively, the fatal complications or trauma death may be reduced by the effort 1] rapid transport of the victim, 2] initial correction or resuscitative measures of the circulatory and ventilatory deficit 3] early decision of definitive thoracostomy or thoracotomy and 4] proper prioritizing for the care of the multiple critically injured patient.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.808-811
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• 2010

Simultaneous occurrence of the trachea, esophagus, and spinal cord injuries due to stabbing is rare. The incidence is decreasing, but early diagnosis and surgical treatment is important because it can be life-threatening. We present one case of simultaneous trachea, esophagus, and spinal cord injury caused by self-stabbing complicated with paraplegia.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.927-930
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• 1996

We experienced six cases of pseudoaneurysm of the peripheral artery which occurred after stab wound or after diagnostic and operative procedures. Among 6 cases, 4 cases of pseudoaneurysm were developed in the femoral arteries, and others were the subclavian and the axillary artery. Two of 6 cases were combined with previous arterio enous fistula. Doppler imaging and angiogram were performed for the dignosis and an operation. Operative procedures were resection of the aneurysm, ligation of the involved arteries and reconstruction of the artery with the autogenous saphenous vein or the cephalic vein graft. Each operations were successfully performed without any disability.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.190-196
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• 1991

Clinical experience of 48 acute pericarditis with effusion was reviewed and presented. There were 28 male and 20 female patients ranging from 3 years to 77 years old. Malignant effusion; Twenty patients had underlying malignancy. These etiologies were lung ca[8 patients, 40%], breast ca[7 patients 35%], lymphoma[2 patients, 10%], esophageal ca[1 patients, 5%], stomach ca[1 patient, 5%], ovarian ca[1 patient, 5%]. Uremic effusion; 15 patients with renal failure required surgical intervention. Traumatic effusion; 7 patients had traumatic pericarditis. These etiologies were stab wound [5 patients, 71.4%] and aspiration[2 patients, 28.6%]. Pyogenic effusion: 6 patients had pyogenic pericarditis. These etiologies were empyema thoracis[3 patients, 50%], liver abscess[2 patients, 33.3%], pneumonia[1 patient, 16.7%]. The patients were treated by pericardiocentesis, subxiphoid tube drainage, pericardiectomy: 4 of them underwent pericardiocentesis; 37, subxiphoid tube drainage; 5, pericardiectomy. We conclude that subxiphoid tube pericardial drainage was effective for treatment of pericardial effusion.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.471-478
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• 1988

We evaluated forty cases of traumatic diaphragmatic injuries that we have experienced from Jan. 1972 to Dec. 1987. 28 patients were male and 12 were female[M:F=2.3:1]. The age distribution was ranged from 4 to 71 years with mean age of 26. The diaphragmatic injuries were due to blunt trauma in 27 cases[traffic accident 22, fall down 3, others 2] and penetrating trauma in 13 cases[stab wound 11, gun shot 1, other 1]. In the blunt injury,14 cases of 17 were diagnosed and treated within 24 hours in the left diaphragmatic injury but only 3 cases of 7 cases in the right diaphragmatic injury were diagnosed and treated within 24 hours. All cases except one in penetrating injury were diagnosed and treated within 12 hours. In the blunt injury, the rupture site was located in the left in \ulcorner7 cases and in the right in 7 cases. In the penetrating injury, the rupture site was located in the left in 11 cases and in the right in 2 cases. The repair of 37 cases were performed with thoracic approach in 20 cases, thoracoabdominal approach in 12 cases and abdominal approach in 5 cases. Over all mortality was 17.5%[7/40] and postoperative mortality was 11%[4/37]. The causes of death were hypovolemic shock[3], combined head injury[2], acute renal failure[1] and septic shock with ARDS[1].

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 1977

With the adevance of widespread mechanization and high-speed era, the incidence of traumatic rupture of the tracheobronchial tree has been increased considerably. We have experienced these diseased of the 3 cases in our department. The first case was a 25 year old male who was severe dyspneic and subcutaneous emphysema, hemoptysis, and hemopneumothorax of both side were noted. During tracheostomy, it was found that the 2net ring of the trachea was ruptured. No definitive procedure was made on admission. Corrective surgery was performed with end-to-end anastomosis on 31 post-traumatic day. The second case was a 43 year old female who received multiple stab wounds on the anterior neck and it was found that the cricoid cartilage was transected partially. The injured cartilage was approximated with interrupted suture of No. 600 wire. The third case was a 19 year old male who had sustained a compression chest injury without external wound or rib fracture. At five days after trauma, he had suffered from dyspnea, and obstruction of the left main bronchus due to traumatic bronchial rupture was confirmed by means of bronchoscopy and bronchography at two weeks after the trauma. End-to-end anastomosis of the bronchus was performed and the left lung was aerated well. Mild postoperative stenosis of trachea was remained in the first case. Others were uneventful.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.59-64
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• 1969

Three cases of traumatic diaphragmatic hernia were repaired in this department from June 1967 to Nov.1968. The first case, a 14 year old girl, was diagnosed as diaphragmatic hernia during the operation of the diffuse peritonitis from jejunaI perforation 3 days after the traffic accident at local clinic and she was transfered to this hospital after the closure of the perforated jejunum. Herniated stomach, transverse colon, spleen and left lobe of the liver were repositioned and the diaphragmatic rupture at the posterolateral portion of the left diaphragm was repaired with two layer sutures by transthoracic approach. The second case. a 26 year old man. was diagnosed immediately after the traffic accident at local clinic and transfered to this hospital 24 hours later. Herniated and distended stomach, transverse colon and jejunum were repositioned and the large diaphragmatic rupture, about 9 cm in length, from the posterolateral portion to the base of the pericardium was directly repaired with two layer sutures. The third case, a 26 year old man, who had a history of stab wound at left lower lateral chest two years ago,was admitted with the sudden onset of abdominal pain and vomiting. The diaphragmatic hernia was confirmed with barium enema. The herniated stomach and transverse colon through the defect, about 3.5 cm in diameter, at anterolateral portion of the left diaphragm, were repositioned and the defect was repaired with two layer sutures. All of the cases recovered uneventfully.