Age Differences in Blunt Chest Trauma: a Cross-sectional Study

Overview

Journal Kardiochir Torakochirurgia Pol

Publisher Termedia

Date 2020 Oct 5

PMID 33014086

Citations 4

Authors

Hasan Oguz Kapicibasi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Introduction: Trauma is the most common cause of presentation to hospital emergency services. After extremity and cranial injuries, blunt thoracic trauma is the third most common injury.

Aim: In this study, we aimed to present and assess blunt chest trauma in adults aged below 65 and elderly (age ≥ 65).

Material And Methods: In this study, 130 patients (86 young (age 18-64) and 44 elderly (age ≥ 65)) who applied to the emergency department with blunt thoracic trauma between October 2017 and October 2019 were evaluated retrospectively.

Results: Of the patients, 99 (76.1%) were male, and 31 (23.9%) were female. The mean age was 54.41 ±20.13 years, and the patients were between 18 and 95 years of age. The most common cause of blunt thoracic trauma in the elderly group was a fall ( = 27; 61.3%), while in-vehicle traffic accident was most common in the young group ( = 43; 50%). "Flail chest," which is observed as a complication after multiple rib fractures, was present in 1 patient in the young group and in 10 patients in the elderly group; the difference was statistically significant ( > 0.05). Seven (5.3%) patients died. The mean hospital stay was 5.1 (1-60) days, which was borderline-significantly higher in the elderly group ( = 0.056).

Conclusions: Due to its life-threatening properties, the detection of blunt thorax trauma is a priority among multiple-trauma patients. For this reason, an aggressive diagnosis and treatment approach is essential in the whole patient group, especially among the elderly.

Citing Articles

Impact of Imaging on Surgical Management of Penetrating Chest Trauma: Experience From a High-Volume Trauma Center in a Resource-Constrained Environment.

Noor N, Baseer A Cureus. 2025; 17(1):e77476.

PMID: 39958049 PMC: 11827714. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.77476.

Thoracic Ultrasound Utility in Pulmonary Pathologies Following Blunt Chest Trauma: A Cross-Sectional Study From Barcelona, Venezuela.

Uzcategui-Gutierrez J, Rivero-Moreno Y, Mendez-Meneses G, Salcedo Y, Garcia-Cazorla W, Tarabey-Yunis L Cureus. 2024; 16(4):e57520.

PMID: 38707094 PMC: 11067563. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.57520.

A Prospective Observational Study on the Outcome Assessment of Conservative Management Versus Intercostal Drainage (ICD) in Blunt Chest Injury Patients With ≤3 Rib Fractures in a North Indian Tertiary Care Center.

Shandilya S, Roy S, Rai A, Kumar S, Kumar S, Tiwari S Cureus. 2023; 15(7):e42167.

PMID: 37602137 PMC: 10439305. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.42167.

Blunt thoracic trauma: role of chest radiography and comparison with CT - findings and literature review.

Polireddy K, Hoff C, Kinger N, Tran A, Maddu K Emerg Radiol. 2022; 29(4):743-755.

PMID: 35595942 DOI: 10.1007/s10140-022-02061-1.

Chest Trauma Experience: Incidence, associated factors, and outcomes among patients in Saudi Arabia.

Hajjar W, Al-Nassar S, Almutair O, Alfahadi A, Aldosari N, Meo S Pak J Med Sci. 2021; 37(2):373-378.

PMID: 33679916 PMC: 7931312. DOI: 10.12669/pjms.37.2.3842.

References

Calderon G, Perez D, Fortman J, Kea B, Rodriguez R . Provider perceptions concerning use of chest x-ray studies in adult blunt trauma assessments. J Emerg Med. 2011; 43(4):568-74. DOI: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2011.06.045. View

Weinberg D, Hedges B, Belding J, Moore T, Vallier H . Risk factors for pulmonary complication following fixation of spine fractures. Spine J. 2017; 17(10):1449-1456. DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2017.05.008. View

El-Menyar A, Latifi R, Abdulrahman H, Zarour A, Tuma M, Parchani A . Age and traumatic chest injury: a 3-year observational study. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2016; 39(4):397-403. DOI: 10.1007/s00068-013-0281-7. View

Bulger E, Arneson M, Mock C, Jurkovich G . Rib fractures in the elderly. J Trauma. 2000; 48(6):1040-6; discussion 1046-7. DOI: 10.1097/00005373-200006000-00007. View

Scaglione M, Pinto A, Pedrosa I, Sparano A, Romano L . Multi-detector row computed tomography and blunt chest trauma. Eur J Radiol. 2007; 65(3):377-88. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2007.09.023. View

Todd S, McNally M, Holcomb J, Kozar R, Kao L, Gonzalez E . A multidisciplinary clinical pathway decreases rib fracture-associated infectious morbidity and mortality in high-risk trauma patients. Am J Surg. 2006; 192(6):806-11. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2006.08.048. View

Holcomb J, McMullin N, Kozar R, Lygas M, Moore F . Morbidity from rib fractures increases after age 45. J Am Coll Surg. 2003; 196(4):549-55. DOI: 10.1016/S1072-7515(02)01894-X. View

Pothiawala S, Gogna A . Early diagnosis of bowel obstruction and strangulation by computed tomography in emergency department. World J Emerg Med. 2014; 3(3):227-31. PMC: 4129773. DOI: 10.5847/wjem.j.issn.1920-8642.2012.03.012. View

Pezzella A, Silva W, Lancey R . Cardiothoracic trauma. Curr Probl Surg. 1998; 35(8):647-789. DOI: 10.1016/s0011-3840(98)80022-1. View

10.

Lotfipour S, Kaku S, Vaca F, Patel C, Anderson C, Ahmed S . Factors associated with complications in older adults with isolated blunt chest trauma. West J Emerg Med. 2009; 10(2):79-84. PMC: 2691509. View

11.

Shorr R, Crittenden M, Indeck M, Hartunian S, Rodriguez A . Blunt thoracic trauma. Analysis of 515 patients. Ann Surg. 1987; 206(2):200-5. PMC: 1493106. DOI: 10.1097/00000658-198708000-00013. View

12.

Marts B, Durham R, Shapiro M, Mazuski J, Zuckerman D, Sundaram M . Computed tomography in the diagnosis of blunt thoracic injury. Am J Surg. 1994; 168(6):688-92. DOI: 10.1016/s0002-9610(05)80146-1. View

13.

Majercik S, Pieracci F . Chest Wall Trauma. Thorac Surg Clin. 2017; 27(2):113-121. DOI: 10.1016/j.thorsurg.2017.01.004. View

14.

Lichtenstein D, Meziere G, Lascols N, Biderman P, Courret J, Gepner A . Ultrasound diagnosis of occult pneumothorax. Crit Care Med. 2005; 33(6):1231-8. DOI: 10.1097/01.ccm.0000164542.86954.b4. View

15.

Quaday K . Morbidity and mortality of rib fracture. J Trauma. 1995; 39(3):617. DOI: 10.1097/00005373-199509000-00043. View

16.

Hemmati H, Kazemnezhad-Leili E, Mohtasham-Amiri Z, Darzi A, Davoudi-Kiakalayeh A, Dehnadi-Moghaddam A . Evaluation of chest and abdominal injuries in trauma patients hospitalized in the surgery ward of poursina teaching hospital, guilan, iran. Arch Trauma Res. 2014; 1(4):161-5. PMC: 3876503. DOI: 10.5812/atr.7672. View

17.

Engel C, Krieg J, Madey S, Long W, Bottlang M . Operative chest wall fixation with osteosynthesis plates. J Trauma. 2005; 58(1):181-6. DOI: 10.1097/01.ta.0000063612.25756.60. View

18.

Stawicki S, Grossman M, Hoey B, Miller D, Reed 3rd J . Rib fractures in the elderly: a marker of injury severity. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004; 52(5):805-8. DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52223.x. View

19.

. The uses of epidemiology in the study of the elderly. Report of a WHO Scientific Group on the Epidemiology of Aging. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 1984; 706:1-84. View

20.

Moore E, Malangoni M, Cogbill T, Shackford S, Champion H, Jurkovich G . Organ injury scaling. IV: Thoracic vascular, lung, cardiac, and diaphragm. J Trauma. 1994; 36(3):299-300. View