Management of traumatic pneumothorax in isolated blunt chest trauma

Year 2019, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 306 - 310, 04.03.2019

Murat Sarıçam , Berker Özkan , Yaşar Türk

https://doi.org/10.18621/eurj.375947

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Objectives: Pneumothorax
is an important complication of blunt chest trauma. The aim of this study was
to report our experience in treatment strategy and outcomes of traumatic
pneumothorax.

Methods: A total of 78 patients who developed pneumothorax due
to isolated blunt chest trauma were evaluated in terms of age, gender, size of
pneumothorax, treatment methods, complications and length of hospital stay. The
size of pneumothorax was calculated with computer-aided volumetry.

Results: Tube thoracostomy was performed for 48 patients while observation was
undertaken for 30 cases. Chest tubes were inserted in 6 patients after 24 hours
following the traumatic event. A total of 8 patients who developed prolonged
air leakage and hemothorax as complications underwent video-assisted
thoracoscopic surgery. None of the patients developed any mortality or
morbidity.

Conclusions: Traumatic pneumothorax demands prompt diagnosis
and treatment. Monitoring all patients even with small sizes of traumatic
pneumothorax for at least 24 hours onset of their initial assessment and
applying chest tubes for cases who have pneumothorax larger than 50% at first
examination should be an appropriate modality for treatment. Moreover, the
minimally invasive approach of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery benefits to
overcome the complications of thoracic trauma. 

Keywords

Blunt chest trauma, traumatic pneumothorax, treatment

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