Chest Trauma, Blunt

Basics

Description

  • Blunt injury to the thorax
  • Significant source of morbidity and mortality in the US
  • ∼12 thoracic trauma victims per million population per day
  • ∼33% of these injuries require hospital admission
  • Directly responsible for 20–25% of all deaths attributed to trauma

Etiology

  • Common mechanisms of injury include:
    • Motor vehicle collision (70–80%)
    • Motorcycle collision
    • Pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle
    • Falls from height
    • Assault
    • Blast injury
    • Sports-related injury
  • Injuries can result from direct blunt force to the chest or from forces related to rapid deceleration

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