[Closed traumas of the thorax. Assessment of two years activity at the Dakar Trauma Center]

Two years after opening the Dakar Trauma Center has received 179 cases of blunt chest trauma without prehospital treatment. Road accidents were the leading cause. The initial mortality was 29 patients (16.20%) and 150 patients arrived alive and were treated. The initial mortality was primarily due to the associated extrathoracic injuries mainly hemorrhagic with hemoperitoneum in 44.82% and brain hemorrhage in 24.14% of cases. Secondly, it was due to the thoracic injuries with 41.37% of anterior flail chest and massive hemothorax in 65.51% of cases. Among the 150 patients treated, 42% had extrathoracic injuries, mainly head trauma. 56% were admitted to intensive care units with 39 chest drainages and 6 thoracotomies were performed. The mortality in this group was about 11.33%. The very high initial mortality could be reduced by the organisation of prehospital treatment to take better care of patients involved in road accidents.