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Objective: To evaluate the epidemiology of the traumatic clotted hemothorax; to describe the surgical approach, morbidmortality and intrahospital time of the patient with traumatic clotted hemothorax.
Material and Method: A descriptive, transversal study was performed from january 1991 to june 2003. Sixty one clinical files were reviewed. These files corresponded to patient with traumatic clotted hemothorax diagnosis operated by only one surgeon. The following information concerning these patients were collected: patient source, time of evolution, diagnostic methods, surgical treatment, analgesia, lethality, complications, hospitalization time of post-operation and their monitoring or follow-up. Fifity eight patients were males and three were females. The average age was 27 9 years (the range was 17-55 years). Diagnostic methods were lateral and chest PA X-ray and computerized tomography of the chest. The approach was open thoracotomy (formal orlimited) and thoracoscopy (rigid or assisted by video). The treatment consisted in hemothorax evacuation and early decortication and in other cases formal decortication.
Results: There were 35 patients who suffered blunt injuries, 18 penetrating injuries by gunshot and eight for close trauma. Forty four thoracotomies and 17 thoracoscopies were performed. No mortality was recorded in any of these two groups. The morbility of patients with clotted hemothorax was 11,47% (four pulmonary infections, one infection due to surgical incision, one superficial phlebitis and one seizure). The hospitalization period post-operation was 6,5 days for thoracotomies and 3,5 days for thoracoscopies. No patient required additional procedure after being released from the hospital.
Conclusion: In our study, the treatment offered was similar to the treatment described in medical studies regarding: surgical indications, procedures, lethality, complications and post-operation days.
