WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Mohammad Ahmad Shaaban*, Sulman Alkadi, Dommar Roumieh

ABSTRACT

Background: Chest injuries constitute a major cause of morbidity, with a significant impact on global health. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the demographics, clinical manifestations, management, and outcome of thoracic injuries during the conflict. Patients and Methods: An Observational Cross Sectional Study was conducted for the period six years (May 2015 – May 2021) at Tishreen University Hospital in Lattakia-Syria. The study included all patients admitted with thoracic injuries resulting from warfare trauma. Results: A total of 180 patients, 169 males (93.9%) and 11 females (6.1%) with a mean age 27.3±5.2 years were included in the study. The peak age group was 20-40 years (81.7%), shrapnel fragments represented the most frequent mechanism of injury (60.6%), followed by gunshot (30%) and closed trauma (9.4%). Chest injury was isolated in 36.7% with presence of other combined organs injuries in 63.7%. Pulmonary contusion represented the most common isolated injury which found in 65 cases (36.1%), and the accompanied abdominal injuries were observed in 51 cases (44.7%). Management of injuries was performed by chest tube thoracostomy in 70.6% of the cases and thoracotomy in 29.4%. The number of the performed surgical procedures was 77 procedures, which were more frequent in the case of pulmonary laceration on average 13.9% of the total number of patients, and in presence of gunshot or shrapnel on average 12.8%. Duration of hospitalization was longer in patients who underwent thoracotomy and extrathoracic surgery (37 day), with higher rate of mortality (18.75%). Conclusion: Chest war injuries carry a high morbidity and mortality with enormous demands on the available limited financial resource, so that prompt and efficient management is considered crucial to improve the outcome.

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