Abstract

MESA PEREZ, Demetrio et al. Wounds in the thoracoabdominal region. Rev Cub Med Mil [online]. 2011, vol.40, n.3-4, pp. 249-256. ISSN 0138-6557.

Introduction: the penetrating traumata in thoracoabdominal region have a varied lesions spectrum. Surgeon must to be able of to diagnose and to treat in an emergent way the lesions of organs located in two cavities at the same time, and to identify which of them compromise faster the life. Objective: to characterize patients with wounds in thoracoabdominal region. Methods: a retrospective, descriptive and observational study was conducted at the center of urgencies of the "Dr. Carlos J. Finlay" Central Military Hospital. Sixty three patients were analyzed diagnosed with thoracoabdominal wound from January, 2007 to January, 2009. Authors took into account the following variables: sex, age, vulnerant agent, more frequent lesions, as well as the surgical procedures carried out. Results: there was predominance of male sex in a 4:1 ratio and in the 21 and 30 age-groups. The 84 % of lesions were provoked by blade. More than the half of injured had lesions in both cavities. The more involved organ was the lung and in the abdomen region it was the liver. The more used surgical procedures were an indifferent minimal pleurotomy and the exploratory laparotomy in the 60 % of cases. Mortality was of 6.4 % mainly due to severe hypovolemic shock. Conclusions: patients were mostly by young men with wounds by blade and pulmonary or hepatic involvement requiring exploratory laparotomy and immediate treatment of hypovolemic shock.

Keywords : thoracic wounds; abdominal wounds; thoracoabdominal wounds.