Background: We retrospectively evaluated patients with thoracic trauma who were hospitalized and treated at chest surgery clinic from January 2002 to November 2004.

Methods: A total of 302 patients (263 males, 39 females; mean age 32.7 years) with thoracic trauma were evaluated with respect to etiology, thoracic pathologies, associated injuries, and treatment methods.

Results: Blunt and penetrating thoracic injuries were found in 111 (36.8%) and 191 (63.3%) patients, respectively. The most common causes were traffic accidents (80.2%) and stab wounds (93.2%) for blunt and penetrating thoracic injuries, respectively. The most frequent thoracic pathologies were soft tissue injuries (32.1%) followed by pneumothorax (27.2%), multiple rib fractures (21.5%), hemopneumothorax (20.5%), and hemothorax (15.9%). Extrathoracic injuries were seen in 91 patients (30.1%), the most common being abdominal (29.3%), cranial (25.2%), and extremity injuries (21.8%). Treatment was conservative in 115 patients (38.1%), while the remaining patients were treated with tube thoracostomy (n=157, 52%), pneumography, diaphragmatic repair or bleeding control with thoracotomy (n=25, 8.3%), cardiac repair with thoracotomy or sternotomy (n=18, 6%), and esophagus-trachea repair (n=1, 0.3%). Mortality occurred in eight patients (2.7%).

Conclusion: It is important that thoracic trauma patients with increased risk for mortality and morbidity should receive immediate and systematic treatment.

Keywords : Accidents, traffic; diaphragm/injuries; thoracic injuries/ epidemiology/etiology/surgery; trachea/injuries; wounds, nonpenetrating; wounds, penetrating