Abstract
Background Thorax trauma frequently occurs in which injuries to the bony chest, lung contusions
(LCs), and others are diagnosed. The significance of this violation is described very
differently and is mostly based on monocentric data.
Methods A retrospective analysis of the TraumaRegister DGU® (TR-DGU) dataset (Project 2014–062) was performed between 2009 and 2014 (injury severity
score [ISS] ≥ 16, primary admission to a trauma center, no isolated traumatic brain
injury). Patients with LC (Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS] 3 + 4) were compared with
the control group, and an analysis of different age groups was performed.
Results A total of 49,567 patients were included, thereunder 14,521 (29.3%) without relevant
thoracic trauma (TT); 95.9% blunt traumas. 18,892 patients (38.1%) had LC and 14,008
(28.3%) had severe LC with AIS 3 + 4; thereunder 72.7% males. For severe LC, the average
age was the lowest (44.7 ± 19.7 years) and ISS the highest (30.4 ± 12.1 points).
Intubation, intensive care, (multi-) organ failure, sepsis, and extrathoracic injuries
were most common in severe LC. Shock, chest tubes, further thoracic injuries, and
patient death occurred most frequently in TT without LC.
Younger patients showed a higher incidence of LC than the older ones; however, high
patient age was a highly significant risk factor for the development of complications
and poor outcome.
Conclusion Since LC was present in almost 40% of the severely injured and was related to higher
morbidity, LC should be detected and managed at the earliest possible time. Proper
follow-ups employing chest X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans are recommended.
Keywords
chest trauma - lung contusion - pulmonary contusion - Polytrauma - TraumaRegister
