Blunt chest trauma at a regional Tay Nguyen hospital: frequent pleuropulmonary injuries and the significance of follow-up after tube thoracostomy

Tóm tắt

Background: Chest trauma is a common surgical emergency with diverse presentations and a high mortality rate. The Tay Nguyen region has distinctive characteristics in terms of terrain, transportation, and delayed access to healthcare, which may affect diagnosis, management, and treatment outcomes. However, data on this condition in the region remain limited.

Objective: To investigate the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of chest trauma and evaluate treatment outcomes at Tay Nguyen Regional General Hospital.

Materials and methods: A retrospective, descriptive analytical study was conducted on 55 patients with thoracic trauma diagnosed and treated at Tay Nguyen Regional General Hospital between January 2024 and June 2025.

Results and discussion: males were 81.8%, the mean age was 52.78. Road traffic accidents were the leading cause (85.4%). The chest pain symptom  was 100% and dyspnea was 56.36%. Rib fracture was the most common injury (94.5%). Pleuropulmonary injuries were identified in 74.5%. Tube thoracostomy was the most common initial treatment modality (63.6%), conservative management was 36.4%. The treatment success rate was 95.0% in the conservative group and 74.3% in the tube thoracostomy group (p = 0.075). Complications occurred in 18.2%, and no in-hospital mortality was recorded. The mean hospital stay was 9.8 days; patients with complications had a significantly longer hospital stay than those without complications (15.2 ± 7.3 vs. 8.6 ± 4.1 days; p = 0.006).

Conclusion: Chest trauma at Tay Nguyen Regional General Hospital was more common in working-age males, with road traffic accidents being the predominant cause. Rib fractures and pleuropulmonary injuries were the most prominent findings. Tube thoracostomy was the main treatment modality. Although no in-hospital mortality was observed, complications still occurred at a considerable rate and were associated with prolonged hospitalization, highlighting the need for close monitoring after initial treatment, especially in patients with pleural space injuries.