Blunt traumatic cardiac rupture is rare and associated with high mortality. The most popular theory of cardiac rupture after blunt thoracic trauma is rapid deceleration with disruption of the atria from their connections to the vena cava and pulmonary veins. In cases with both massive hemothorax and hemopericardium, injury can usually originate from the heart and/or major vessels. Surgical appr...

Both osteoporotic fractures and pleural effusions are frequently observed in medicine. However, rarely does one associate a hemorrhagic pleural effusion with a thoracic spinal fracture when the patient has not sustained massive trauma. In this paper, we discuss two cases where seemingly insignificant low-energy trauma precipitated massive haemothoraces in elderly patients with underlying osteop...

Chylothorax was probably first described by Aseli in 1677 (cited by Kirkland, 1965). It can occur neonatally and during infancy, in childhood, and in adult life. In the neonatal period less than 20 cases had been recorded up to 1965 (Kirkland, 1965). These were considered to be due to a congenital defect in the thoracic duct, and in a few to birth trauma, convulsions, or respiratory obstruction...

to review our experience in treatment of patients with thoracic empyema at a teaching hospital chart of patients were retrospectively reviewed over a 72-month period. a total of 112 patients (94 men, 18 women, mean age: 39, range: 6-89 years) underwent therapeutic procedures for thoracic empyema between 2001-2006. the causes of empyema included parapneumonic empyema (60.7%), thoracic trauma (20...

Objective(s): Pulmonary contusion (PC) is a clinical entity that often accompanies blunt traumas. We aimed to investigate the radiological and histopathological effects of surfactant treatment in an experimental rat model in which lung contusion was formed by blunt thoracic trauma.Materials and Methods: 50 female Sprague-Dawley rats were...

Polytrauma is a syndrome with multiple injuries of defined severity. Patients with chest injuries have a higher possibility to have a spine trauma. In patient with vertebral fracture the prevalence of concomitant thoracic injuries is 2.9%. Thoracic trauma is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in polytraumatized patient and acute spinal cord injury is one of the most causes of disability ...

A 2.9 kg Miniature Schnauzer was referred to our clinic, the Emergency & Critical Care Medicine Service at the Michigan State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, following a dog fight. Physical examination findings upon admission included multiple thoracic wounds, absence of hindlimb deep pain, and marked Schiff-Sherrington syndrome. Computed tomography imaging revealed thoracic wall penet...