Penetrating and perforating thoracic injuries

Five hundred and eleven patients with penetrating or perforating chest injuries were admitted to the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, University Central Hospital, Helsinki, during the 25-year-period 1952-77. There were 433 stab wounds, 59 gunshot wounds and 19 other penetrating injuries. The organs most often involved were lungs (major haemo- or pneumothorax in 385 patients), heart (63 patients) and liver (61 patients). About one third of the patients were in profound shock on admission. The treatment was immediate thoracotomy in 176 (35%) and laparotomy in 123 cases (24%). Tube thoracostomy was applied in 117 patients and needle aspiration performed in 88 patients. Nine patients died (mortality of 1.8%). Two patients required later open-heart procedure. One of them had an aortopulmonary fistula and the other a traumatic VSD combined with aortic valve lesion. One of the traumatic VSDs closed spontaneously during the follow-up time. An active operative approach in the early phase seems to guarantee the best final results, especially in the most critically ill patients.