Abstract
Introduction/background
Occult pneumothorax (OPTX) is defined as air within the pleural cavity that is undetectable on normal chest X-rays, but identifiable on computed tomography. Currently, consensus is divided between tube thoracostomy and conservative management for OPTX.
Methods
The aim of this retrospective study is to determine whether OPTX can be managed conservatively and whether any adverse events occur under conservative management. Data on all trauma patients from 1 Jan 2010 to 31 December 2012 were obtained from our hospital’s trauma registry. All patients with occult pneumothorax who had chest X-ray (CXR) and any CT scan visualizing the thorax were included. The exclusion criteria included those with penetrating wounds; CXR showing pneumothorax, hemothorax, or hemopneumothorax; those with prophylactic chest tube insertion before CT; and those with no CT diagnosis of OPTX. The complications of these patients were analyzed to determine if tube thoracostomy is necessary for OPTX and whether not inserting it would alter the outcome significantly.
Results
A total of 1564 cases were reviewed and 83 patients were included. Of these 83 patients, 35 (42.2 %) had tube thoracostomy after OPTX detection and 48 (57.8 %) were observed initially. Patients who had tube thoracostomy had similar ISS compared to those without (median ISS 17 vs. 18.5, p = 0.436). Out of the 48 patients who did not have tube thoracostomy on detection of an OPTX, 4 (8.3 %) had complications. In the group of 35 patients who had tube thoracostomy on detection of an OPTX, 7 (20 %) had complications. Of the 83 patients, a total of 12 patients had IPPV, of which 7 (58.3 %) had tube thoracostomy and 5 (41.7 %) did not. Patients who had tube thoracostomy under our care have a statistically significant likelihood of experiencing any complication compared to those without tube thoracostomy (odds ratio 9.92. The median length of stay was also longer (13 days) in those who had tube thoracostomy compared to those without (5 days) (p value = 0.008).
Conclusions
Our study suggests that patients with OPTX can be managed conservatively with close monitoring, but only in areas with ready access to emergency facilities should any adverse events occur.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Mettler FA Jr, Wiest PW, Locken JA, et al. CT scanning: patterns of use and dose. J Radiol Prot. 2000;20(4):353–9.
Plurad D, Green D, Demetriades D, et al. The increasing use of chest computed tomography for trauma: is it being overutilized? J Trauma. 2007;62(3):631–5.
Ball CG, Kirkpatrick AW, Laupland KB, et al. Incidence, risk factors, and outcomes for occult pneumothoraces in victims of major trauma. J Trauma. 2005;59:917–25.
Lee Ryan KL, Graham Colin A, Yeung Janice HH, et al. Occult pneumothoraces in Chinese patients with significant blunt chest trauma: radiological classification and proposed clinical significance. Injury Int J Care Injured. 2012;43:2105–8.
Ball CG, Hameed SM, Evans D, et al. Occult pneumothorax in the mechanically ventilated trauma patient. Can J Surg. 2003;46:373–9.
Andrew W. Kirkpatrick, MD, Sandro Rizoli, MD, Jean-Francois Ouellet, MD, et al. Occult pneumothoraces in critical care: a prospective multicenter randomized controlled trial of pleural drainage for mechanically ventilated trauma patients with occult pneumothoraces. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2012;74(3).
Etoch SW, Bar-Natan MF, Miller FB, et al. Tube thoracostomy. Factors related to complications. Arch Surg. 1995;130:521–5.
Moore Forrest O, Goslar Pamela W, Coimbra Raul, et al. Blunt traumatic occult pneumothorax: is observation safe?—results of a prospective, AAST Multicenter Study. J Trauma. 2011;70:1019–25.
Guerrero-Lopez F, Vasquez-Mata G, Alcazar-Romero P, Ferna´ndez-Monde´jar E, et al. Evaluation of the utility of computed tomography in the initial assessment of the critical care patient with chest trauma. Crit Care Med. 2000;28:1370–5.
de Moya MA, Seaver C, Spaniolas K, et al. Occult pneumothorax in trauma patients: development of an objective scoring system. J Trauma. 2007;63(1):13–7.
Brasel KJ, Stafford RE, Weigelt JA, et al. Treatment of occult pneumothoraces from blunt trauma. J Trauma. 1999;46:987–91.
Collins JC, Levine G, Waxman K. Occult traumatic pneumothorax: immediate tube thoracostomy versus expectant management. Am Surg. 1992;58:743–6.
Wilson H, Ellsmere J, Tallon J, Kirkpatrick A. Occult pneumothorax in the blunt trauma patient: tube thoracostomy or observation? Injury. 2009;40(9):928–31. doi:10.1016/j.injury.2009.04.005 [Epub 2009 Jun 17].
Enderson BL, Abdalla R, Frame SB, et al. Tube thoracostomy for occult pneumothorax: a prospective randomized study of its use. J Trauma. 1993;35:726–9.
Hill SL, Edmisten T, Holtzman G, Wright A. The occult pneumothorax: an increasing diagnostic entity in trauma. Am Surg. 1999;65:254–8.
Garramone RR, Jacobs LM, Sahdev P. An objective method to measure and manage occult pneumothorax. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1991;173:257–61.
Eileen M. Bulger, Inpatient management of traumatic rib fractures. In: Basow DS, editor. UpToDate. Waltham: UpToDate; 2013.
Gosain Ankush, Dipietro LA. Aging and wound healing. World J Surg. 2004;28(3):p321–6.
Yadav Kabir, Jalili Mohammad, Zehtabchi Shahriar. Management of traumatic occult pneumothorax. Resuscitation. 2010;81(9):1063–8.
Ball CG, Lord J, Laupland KB, et al. Chest tube complications: how well are we training our residents. Can J Surg. 2007;50:450–8.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
This is to state that the Institutional Review Board approval was waived for the authors—Margaret Zhang, Li Tserng Teo, Mui Heng Goh, Jeffrey Leow and Karen T.S. Go.
Conflict of interest
This is to state that Margaret Zhang, Li Tserng Teo, Mui Heng Goh, Jeffrey Leow and Karen T.S. Go declare that there are no conflicts of interest with regard to the study.
Additional information
An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00068-016-0666-5.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zhang, M., Teo, L.T., Goh, M.H. et al. Occult pneumothorax in blunt trauma: is there a need for tube thoracostomy?. Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 42, 785–790 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-016-0645-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00068-016-0645-x