[Closed chest trauma]

Problems of the clinical course, diagnostics and prophylactics of complications are discussed on the material of observation of 1533 patients with closed traumas of the chest. The program of medical measures included adequate anesthesia, measures of normalization of respiration, gas exchange and correction of metabolic alterations. Main indications to operation were as follows: continuous intrapleural hemorrhage, not effective active drainage in pneumothorax and compression of mediastinal organs. Posttraumatic complications developed in 16.60%, lethality--in 1.5%. The average time of treatment was 12 days.