[A case of major pulmonary laceration caused by blunt open chest trauma successfully treated by operation]

A 42-year-old man had his right arm pulled into a belt conveyer and his right upper extremity was amputated only partially leaving the scapula and the clavicle. A penetrating wound was present at the third intercostal space and the rupture of the upper lobe of the lung was diagnosed through this wound. After tracheal intubation, operation was performed under general anesthesia. The penetrating wound at the third intercostal space was widened and the thoracic cavity was examined. The rupture existed between S1 and S2 and it extended to subsegmental bronchus. The ruptured upper lobe was resected. The defect in the chest wall was reconstructed with mobilized anterior serratus muscle and major pectoral muscle after stabilizing the fractured ribs by inserting Kirschner wire into the marrow of the fractured ribs. Postoperative course was uneventful and the wound healed primarily without infection. The patient was sent to a rehabilitation facility 52 days after injury.