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Injuries to the Chest Wall pp 101–117Cite as

Associated Intrathoracic Injuries and Their Treatment

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Abstract

In young patients with compliant chest walls, the presence of thoracic wall fractures suggests extremely high-energy transfer during the traumatic event. This means that adjacent and even remote structures within the neck, chest, and abdomen are also at high risk of contusion and disruption. In older, osteopenic patients, even low-energy mechanisms such as standing-level falls can result in significant chest wall injuries. The pain, splinting, and atelectasis associated with these injuries place these patients, who often have low physiologic and functional reserve to begin with, at extreme risk of complications and mortality. Either way, major chest wall trauma, whether from high- or low-energy mechanisms, is a multisystem injury that poses a significant threat to life. Methodical, prompt, and comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic interventions have the potential to substantially improve outcomes in major chest wall trauma.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, Canada

    S. Morad Hameed M.D., M.P.H. & Emilie Joos M.D.

  2. Thoracic Surgery, Surrey Memorial Hospital, Surrey, BC, Canada

    James Bond M.D.

Authors
  1. S. Morad Hameed M.D., M.P.H.
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  2. Emilie Joos M.D.
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  3. James Bond M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to James Bond M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Orthopedic Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Michael D. McKee

  2. Division of Orthopedic Surgery, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Emil H. Schemitsch

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Hameed, S.M., Joos, E., Bond, J. (2015). Associated Intrathoracic Injuries and Their Treatment. In: McKee, M., Schemitsch, E. (eds) Injuries to the Chest Wall. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18624-5_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18624-5_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-18623-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-18624-5

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