Rupture of the bronchus following closed chest trauma

Management of airway trauma. I: Tracheobronchial injuries

One hundred six consecutive patients with injuries to the tracheobronchial tree who were admitted to the emergency room of the Tulane Medical Center Hospital or the Charity Hospital of Louisiana at New Orleans over a period of almost 20 years were analyzed retrospectively. Penetrating trauma of the neck or chest was reported in 100 of the patients, and only 6 had blunt trauma to the neck or thorax as the cause of injury. There were 18 deaths among the 106 patients (16.98%), including 11 (13.75%) of 80 with injuries of the cervical trachea. Seven (53.8%) of 13 with principal injuries of the thoracic trachea died; all 13 patients with major bronchial injuries survived. On admission to the emergency room, all patients had signs of airway compromise such as tachypnea, dyspnea, cyanosis, subcutaneous emphysema, or an abnormal respiratory pattern. Severe airway compromise was evident in 46 patients; 24 (23%) were treated with oral or nasal intubation, 19 (18%) with emergency tracheostomy, and 3 (2%) with intubation of a tracheal injury. Hemoptysis was an unreliable signal of serious injury, being present in only 28 of the patients. Patients who had major vascular injuries combined with trachea involvement were generally not salvageable. In regard to morbidity and mortality, the most common preventable errors were delay in diagnosis and treatment of tracheobronchial injuries, missed esophageal injuries, massive aspiration of blood, and abdominal vascular injuries.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Diagnosis and long-term follow-up of major bronchial disruptions due to nonpenetrating trauma

From 1966 through 1978, 13 patients were treated for major bronchial disruptions due to nonpenetrating trauma. In 10 patients the diagnosis was made early, and operation was carried out in all of them. Four of the 6 patients with main bronchus avulsion had primary repair and all 4 patients with lobar rupture underwent lobectomy. One patient had a pneumonectomy. There was 1 operative death. In 3 patients the diagnosis was made more than a month after the injury. A bronchoplastic repair was done in every patient. All 7 patients who had repair of a transected main bronchus were assessed 2 to 14 years after operation (average, 7 1/2 years). Flow-volume curves on air and air-helium were normal, indicating no major airway obstruction; this finding was confirmed by clinical and bronchoscopic examinations. Pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide was also normal in all patients. Volume measurements by closed circuit method and by body plethysmography showed restriction in 1 patient but no major air trapping. Perfusion/ventilation scans showed homogeneous distribution of air and blood flow in the lung.

Tracheobronchial disruption: delayed diagnosis

Traumatic rupture of the tracheobronchial tree is an increasingly occurring complication of blunt chest trauma. Early detection and surgical repair are important for definitive and successful reconstruction. Bronchoscopy is the most reliable diagnostic procedure. Use of a rigid bronchoscope is difficult and traumatic to the patient, and the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope, with its greater technical simplicity, is more easily applied. We report the case of a patient who suffered bronchial stenosis and total atelectasis before discovery of a fracture was made.

Injuries of the trachea and bronchi

Traumatic rupture of the trachea or the bronchi is reported with increasing frequency. Such rupture may follow penetrating wounds, but the common cause is blunt trauma of the throat or thorax.

When the proximal trachea is damaged other cervical structures are usually involved. By contrast the distal trachea or bronchi are not infrequently the only thoracic structures damaged. In particular there may be no rib fractures, or obvious fractures may be uncomplicated and insignificant.

Thoracic rupture usually occurs in the vicinity of the carina.

Central rupture generally presents with emphysema of the mediastinum and neck. Diagnosis can usually be confirmed by tracheobronchoscopy. Rupture of the peripheral bronchi generally presents with pneumothorax and atelectasis.

Central rupture should be treated by primary suture. Lobectomy is often necessary when small bronchi are ruptured.

Traumatic rupture of the right main bronchus in an eight-year-old child successfully repaired eight years after injury

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Rupture of the trachea and bronchi by closed injury

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