What is traumatic lung injury?
Blunt trauma injuries of the lung include lung contusions, lacerations, hematomas, and pulmonary vascular injuries. Here we review all blunt trauma injuries of the lung and focus especially on lung contusions. In more than 75% of cases, lung contusion is associated with rib fractures and flail chest.
What are the major complications of chest trauma?
Although there are a wide range of complications following thoracic trauma, respiratory failure, pneumonia, and pleural sepsis are the most common potentially preventable problems. Respiratory failure and pneumonia are directly related to the severity of the injury and the age and condition of the patient.
What are multiple traumatic injuries?
Multiple trauma means having several serious injuries from something like a fall, an attack, or a crash. The injuries could cause severe bleeding or break large bones. They might include damage to the brain or to organs such as the lungs or spleen.
Which traumatic chest injury is most likely to result in death?
Although it is the third most common cause of death in all age groups, one out of four trauma patients die due to thoracic injury or its complications. Blunt injuries constitute the majority of chest trauma.
What is the prognosis for trauma patients who suffer multiple injuries?
Multiple trauma also results in a long-term reduction of mental health status [1,5,6]. 17-46% of multiply injured patients are mentally impaired 10 years after trauma [3,8]. Psychological problems include anxiety disorders in 28-62% [6,7,9], depression in 28-45% [6,7,9] and posttraumatic stress response in 32% [10].
Can lung injury heal?
The lungs’ large surface area exposes the organ to a continual risk of damage from pathogens, toxins or irritants; however, lung damage can be rapidly healed via regenerative processes that restore its structure and function.
Can trauma cause breathing problems?
The blunt impact can damage blood vessels, causing blood and fluid to build up in your lungs. Too much fluid in your lungs can reduce the amount of oxygen your body receives. A pulmonary contusion is the most common injury to the lung in people who experience blunt trauma to the chest.
What is the most common chest injury?
One of the most common chest injuries is fractured ribs. These are caused by a strong blunt force, such as a fall from a height or a motor vehicle crash. In older people who have osteoporosis, only a slight force, such as a minor fall, can fracture a rib. A fractured rib is rarely serious.
How will multiple injuries affect a patient’s outcome?
What is the treatment for damaged lungs?
Home oxygen therapy helps return your blood oxygen levels to normal, reducing the damage to your vital organs. Oxygen therapy is usually prescribed to prolong life and it may also improve quality of life. While the use of oxygen may relieve shortness of breath, in many cases, it does not.
How long does a lung injury take to heal?
“Recovery from lung damage takes time,” Galiatsatos says. “There’s the initial injury to the lungs, followed by scarring. Over time, the tissue heals, but it can take three months to a year or more for a person’s lung function to return to pre-COVID-19 levels.
What are lung injuries?
Breathing is something you do without a thought, yet it’s vital to every part of our body. Ribs provide protection, but lung injuries can occur. Trauma causes fluid (and often air) to leak into the lungs. When this happens, your lungs can’t give your body the oxygen it needs to survive. What Causes Lung Injuries?
What is a multi traumatic injury called?
Multi Trauma (Polytrauma) Polytrauma or multiple trauma is a medical term describing the condition of a person who has been subjected to multiple traumatic injuries, such as a serious head injury, multiple fractures in addition to a serious burn, affecting multiple body systems and organs.
What are the 6 types of pulmonary injuries?
The following potentially life-threatening injuries should be immediately investigated: pulmonary contusion, tracheobronchial injuries, diaphragmatic injuries, myocardial injury, thoracic aortic disruption, and esophageal injury. Similarly, 2 of these 6 conditions are pulmonary injuries due to trauma.
What increases my risk for a lung injury?
Doctors can’t really tell who’ll develop lung injuries. But they’ve pinpointed some things that can increase your risk. They include: A history of smoking cigarettes. Alcohol abuse. A pre-existing lung condition that requires the use of oxygen. A recent high-risk surgery. Chemotherapy.