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3.13.3 - Traumatic Chest Injuries

from Section 3.13 - Severe Trauma and Multiple Injuries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2023

Ned Gilbert-Kawai
Affiliation:
The Royal Liverpool Hospital
Debashish Dutta
Affiliation:
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust, Harlow
Carl Waldmann
Affiliation:
Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading
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Summary

Key Learning Points

  1. 1. Thoracic trauma accounts for a large proportion of trauma-related mortality, with many patients not even surviving to reach hospital.

  2. 2. Multi-system injuries are common, and as such, a systematic advanced trauma life support assessment must be carried out to ensure nothing is missed.

  3. 3. The location, velocity and type of trauma inflicted (e.g. blunt versus penetrating) are important factors for predicting the extent and severity of an injury.

  4. 4. Bedside investigations through focused echocardiography, invasive monitoring and appropriately timed computed tomography scans are essential in aiding clinicians’ diagnosis of life-threatening injuries.

  5. 5. Effective management involves the presence of a multidisciplinary team, including anaesthetists, intensivists, general surgeons and thoracic surgeons.

Type
Chapter
Information
Intensive Care Medicine
The Essential Guide
, pp. 402 - 405
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

References and Further Reading

Albert, JM, Smith, CE. Advanced anesthetic considerations for thoracic trauma. ASA Monitor 2015;79:24–8.Google Scholar
Allman, KG, Wilson, IH. Traumatic chest injuries. In: Allman, K, Wilson, I, O’Donnell, A (eds). Oxford Handbook of Anaesthesia, 4th edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2016. pp. 856–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American College of Surgeons. ATLS® Advanced Trauma Life Support®. Student course manual, 9th edn. Chicago, IL: American College of Surgeons; 2012. pp. 94111.Google Scholar
Parry, NG, Moffat, B, Vogt, K. Blunt thoracic trauma: recent advances and outstanding questions. Curr Opin Crit Care 2015;21:544–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schellenberg, M, Inaba, K. Critical decisions in the management of thoracic trauma. Emerg Med Clin North Am 2018;36:135–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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