Video-assisted thoracoscopic resection of fractured ribs to prevent descending aorta injury in patient with chest trauma

Penetrating Aortic Injury due to Broken Ribs and Preventive Measures

We herein report two cases of patients that underwent prophylactic operations to prevent aortic injuries in association with fractured ribs. Penetrating aortic injuries induced by fractured ribs remain fatal. Prophylactic operations appear effective. However, the indication for such operations should be clarified further in the future.

A case of thoracic aortic injury caused by multiple rib fractures

Thoracic aortic injury is fatal but rare in blunt chest trauma, which usually requires urgent surgical treatment. It is mostly caused by posterior rib fractures. Chest wall stabilization (CWS) has been widely performed in patients with multiple rib fractures all over the world in the past two decades with satisfactory outcomes. However, the surgical treatment of posterior rib fracture within 2-3 cm from transverse process is still a difficult problem for thoracic surgeons. Under this circumstance, rib-transverse process internal fixation method was developed and widely performed for above patients at present. In this article, we presented a case of thoracic aortic injury caused by multiple rib fractures. A 54-year-old female was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea and severe chest pain caused by a falling object. Thoracic aortic injury with multiple rib fractures were diagnosed basing on image date and emergency CWS was performed for this patient. Rib-transverse process internal fixation was not performed in this case since the patients combined with transverse process fracture. We firstly performed transverse process resection combined with CWS for this patient. The results of our study showed this method is safe and feasible for patients with multiple rib fractures combined with transverse process fracture.

Hemothorax: A Review of the Literature

Hemothorax is a collection of blood in the pleural cavity usually from traumatic injury. Chest X-ray has historically been the imaging modality of choice upon arrival to the hospital. The sensitivity and specificity of point-of-care ultrasound, specifically through the Extended Focal Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (eFAST) protocol has been significant enough to warrant inclusion in most Level 1 trauma centers as an adjunct to radiographs.^1,2 If the size or severity of a hemothorax warrants intervention, tube thoracostomy has been and still remains the treatment of choice. Most cases of hemothorax will resolve with tube thoracostomy. If residual blood remains within the pleural cavity after tube thoracostomy, it is then considered to be a retained hemothorax, with significant risks for developing late complications such as empyema and fibrothorax. Once late complications occur, morbidity and mortality increase dramatically and the only definitive treatment is surgery. In order to avoid surgery, research has been focused on removing a retained hemothorax before it progresses pathologically. The most promising therapy consists of fibrinolytics which are infused into the pleural space, disrupting the hemothorax, allowing for further drainage. While significant progress has been made, additional trials are needed to further define the dosing and pharmacokinetics of fibrinolytics in this setting. If medical therapy and early procedures fail to resolve the retained hemothorax, surgery is usually indicated. Surgery historically consisted solely of thoracotomy, but has been largely replaced in non-emergent situations by video-assisted thoracoscopy (VATS), a minimally invasive technique that shows considerable improvement in the patients' recovery and pain post-operatively. Should all prior attempts to resolve the hemothorax fail, then open thoracotomy may be indicated.

Cardiac tamponade associated with delayed ascending aortic perforation after blunt chest trauma: a case report

BACKGROUND

Cardiac tamponade due to aortic injury after blunt trauma is a rare and potentially fatal injury. Most aortic injuries caused by blunt trauma present as aortic dissection or rupture of the aortic isthmus. Several cases of delayed aortic injury have been reported. However, all of these injuries were observed in the descending aorta because they had been caused by a posterior rib fracture.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report the first case of cardiac tamponade associated with delayed ascending aortic perforation 2 weeks after blunt trauma. The patient was an 81-year-old man.

CONCLUSION

In cases of blunt chest trauma, delayed ascending aortic injury causing cardiac tamponade is possible associated with various causes such as direct injury by fractured rib or delayed aortic perforation of initial blunt injury.

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for retained hemothorax in blunt chest trauma

Purpose of review

In the last decade, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has become a popular method in diagnosis and treatment of acute chest injuries. Except for patients with unstable vital signs who require larger surgical incisions to check bleeding, this endoscopic surgery could be employed in the majority of thoracic injury patients with stable vital signs.

Recent findings

In the past, VATS was used to evacuate traumatic-retained hemothorax. Recent study has revealed further that lung repair during VATS could decrease complications after trauma. Management of fractured ribs could also be assisted by VATS. Early VATS intervention within 7 days after injury can decrease the rate of posttraumatic infection and length of hospital stay. In studies of the pathophysiology of animal models, N-acetylcysteine and methylene blue were used in animals with blunt chest trauma and found to improve clinical outcomes.

Summary

Retained hemothorax derived from blunt chest trauma should be managed carefully and rapidly. Early VATS intervention is a well tolerated and reliable procedure that can be applied to manage this complication cost effectively.

A treatment case of delayed aortic injury: the patient with posterior rib fracture

A 66-year-old male patient arrived at the emergency room with a crush injury to his chest. Multiple rib fractures, hemothorax on both sides, left scapular fracture, liver laceration, and retroperitoneal hematoma were found upon the radiologic examination. After closed thoracostomy, the patient had been initially admitted to the intensive care unit, but he was transferred to the general ward on the next day. On the 4th post-trauma day, the patient complained of severe pain and there was bloody drainage through the chest tube. This case is an exploration with the consideration of the possibility of major bleeding and the subsequent repair of the descending thoracic aorta. This case is regarded as a case in which the aorta wall was damaged as the sharp margin of the fractured ribs caused continuous irritation.