Hemopneumothorax following blunt trauma of the thorax

Hemopneumothorax is a frequent sequel of blunt trauma of the thorax and is easily treated if it occurs without associated injury. As an isolated injury, it is accompanied by a low mortality rate, 2 per cent in this series of 330 patients. The principal treatment for hemopneumothorax was tube thoracostomy with large bore chest tubes. Initial thoracotomy was required for 3.3 per cent of the patients, and late thoracotomy for complications was necessary only in 1.2 per cent of the patients. The over-all mortality rate of 20.3 per cent reflected the many associated injuries. Extrathoracic trauma played a significant role in 44 of the 67 deaths.