[Possibilities of videothoracoscopy for penetrating thoracic injuries]

It was analyzed the medical reports of 596 victims with thoracic injuries including 360 cases with following conventional therapeutic approach and 236 patients who underwent videothoracoscopy. We estimated condition severity in case of injuries of thoracic wall, lungs, pericardium and heart. Hemodynamic disorders were estimated according to Allgower-Burri shock index. Intrapleural bleeding was calculated using volume of hemothorax and time before injury and operation. Severity of physiological damages was determined using RTS criterion, anatomic--using ISS criterion. We estimated possibility for videothoracoscopy in patients with conventional therapeutic approach comparing severity of injuries, severity of condition in both groups and volume of surgery. Retrospective analysis revealed possibility of videothoracoscopy in 86.7% of victims with pulmonary injury, in 83.3% with bleeding at the muscular vessels of thoracic wall, in 40.3% with intercostal vessels injury, in 31.2% with heart injury, in 27.3% with damage of pericardium and in 18.8% with internal thoracic vessels injury. Our investigation revealed that videothoracoscopy may be used more widely in case of thoracic injury.