Abstract

SOLIS CHAVEZ, Santiago L; BORGES SANDRINO, René; FERNANDEZ HERNANDEZ, Manuel  and  MENDEZ CATASUS, Roberto. Toracotomías de urgencia y emergencia. Rev Cubana cir [online]. 2000, vol.39, n.1, pp. 47-51. ISSN 1561-2945.

The medical histories of 680 patients with traumatic thoracic injuries that received medical attention in 6 hospitals of Havana City between 1996 and 1997 and that required emergency or urgent thoracotomy were analyzed. Males (88 %) predominated in the study. The most frequent symptom was thoracic pain (85.29 %), whereas the reduction of the vesicular sound and tachycardia prevailed among the signs. The steel arm was the most used (43. 82 %) and the open injuries were the commonest (68.08 %).69.12 % of the thoracotomies were emergencies and the shock (89.95 %). The massive escape of air (6.41 %) and the precordial wounds (3.63 %) were the most frequent indications. The massive hemothorax (67. 45 %) , the diaphragmatic hernia (15.56 %), the hemopneumothorax (9. 90 %) and the precordial wounds (3.32 %) were the commonest signs of urgent thoracotomies. The sepsis of the wound was the most usual complication. The total mortality of the study was 17. 94 % with an increase of 86. 95 % in the emergency thoracotomies

Keywords : THORACIC INJURIES [surgery]; THORACOTOMY; EMERGENCY TREATMENT [methods].

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