Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare our clinical experience and results of the literature.

Material and Method: One hundred and thirty-four patients with chest trauma who presented to the emergency units between the years November 2006-August 2010 were assessed retrospectively.

Results: One hundred and nine (81.3%) of the patients were male and 25 (18.6%) of the patients were female. Ninety-six (71.6%) of the patients had blunt and 38 (28.3%) had penetrating trauma. The most common cause of the blunt trauma was traffic accidents, as occurred in (68.7%) patients. Penetrating traumas were mostly caused by assaults with sharp devices, as occurred in (57.8%) patients. Accompanying traumas were recorded in 46 (34.3%) patients as head (18.6%) and extremity (15.7%) traumas mostly. The most common chest pathology was rib fracture (70.8%). Morbidity was 8.0% and mortality, 0.7%. Mean hospital stay time was 8.2 days (2-16 days).

Conclusion: In thorax trauma patients, the correct diagnosis and appropriate surgical approach is the basis of diminishing the morbidity and mortality of those injuries.