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Published on: November 8, 2024
Thoracic Spine Fractures with Blunt Aortic Injury: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Characteristics
Hai Deng1, Ting-Xuan Tang2, Liang-Sheng Tang1
1Division of Trauma & Surgical Critical Care, Department of Trauma Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
Background:
The coexistence of thoracic fractures and blunt aortic injury (BAI) is potentially catastrophic and easy to be missed in acute trauma settings. Data regarding patients with thoracic fractures complicated with BAI are limited.
Methods:
The authors conducted a prospective, observational, single-center study including patients with thoracic burst fractures. A multivariate logistic regression model was developed to determine the risk factors of aortic injury.
Results:
In total, 124 patients with burst fractures of the thoracic spine were included. The incidence of BAI was 11.3% (14/124) in patients with thoracic burst fractures. Among these patients, 11 patients with BAI were missed diagnoses. The main risk factors of BAI were as follows: Injury severity score (OR 1.184; 95% CI, 1.072-1.308; p = 0.001), mechanism of injury, such as crush (OR 10.474; 95% CI, 1.905-57.579; p = 0.007), flail chest (OR = 4.917; 95% CI, 1.122-21.545; p = 0.035), and neurological deficit (OR = 8.299; 95% CI, 0.999-68.933; p = 0.05).
Conclusions:
BAI (incidence 11.3%) is common in patients with burst fractures of the thoracic spine and is an easily missed diagnosis. We must maintain a high suspicion of injury for BAI when patients with thoracic burst fractures present with these high-risk factors.
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