Ann Cardiovasc Surg | Volume 4, Issue 1 | Short Communication | Open Access
Mohd Yaqoob Khan*, Rouf Gul Ganai, Lone Ghulam Nabi and Farooq Ahmad Ganie
Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, India
*Correspondance to: Mohd Yaqoob Khan
Fulltext PDFIntroduction: Lung contusion is a traumatic lung hemorrhage associated with edema without evidence of any parenchymal laceration. It is a common clinico-pathological entity in trauma and frequently seen in thoraco-abdominal and isolated thoracic trauma.
The outcome remains highly unpredictable and the expectant treatment remains the standard of care.
Methods: We included a total of 200 patients of chest trauma with solitary and multiple lung contusions. The patients were closely monitored and managed conservatively with standard supportive care. Patients having any emergent surgical indication other than tube thoracostomy were excluded from the study. The clinical course and the effectiveness of conservative treatment were analyzed.
Results: Majority of the patients had a favorable clinical course with standard supportive care.
The initial blood gas parameters had a direct bearing on the clinical course and outcome and appeared to be reasonable prognostic factors.
The intermediate period of injury remains the most unpredictable one.
The associated co-morbidities emerged as more significant prognosticators than associated subtle trauma. Lung rupture is a rare but fatal complication.
Conclusion: Lung contusion remains the entity with unpredictable clinical course. However a rationalized supportive care shifts the paradigm more towards the predictability.
Early anticipation of deterioration and prompt supportive therapeutic remain the key components of good clinical outcome.
Chest trauma; Lung contusion; Clinical course; Supportive care
Khan MY, Ganai RG, Nabi LG, Ganie FA. Outcome of Supportive Care in Traumatic Lung Contusions: A Pilot Study at a Tertiary Care Hospital. Ann Cardiovasc Surg. 2021;4(1):1026..