INTRATHORACIC COMBAT WOUNDS.
Abstract
The study consists of data compiled on 223 US Army and Marine Corps casualties injured in Vietnam. Included in the analysis are 192 men who survived and 31 men who died of their wounds after reaching a medical facility. The purpose of this report is to analyze these wounds and to review the modern concepts of clinical management that have developed. The upper thorax was struck more frequently than the lower thorax. A majority of the missiles entered the chest anteriorly. Hemopneumothorax was the clinical complication most frequently encountered, followed by hemothorax. Tube thoracotomy was an effective treatment in most instances of hemothorax caused by pulmonary injury. Open-chest surgery was necessary in 12% of the men and was usually lifesaving. Fragments were responsible for 60% of the injuries. Bullets caused most of the perforating wounds. A majority of the thoracoabdominal wounds resulted from fragments. In this type of injury, the liver and spleen were involved most frequently. The stomach and kidney were next in frequency. Half the fatalities were caused solely by thoracic hemorrhage. The rest of the men succumbed to other injuries either alone or in combination with hemothorax. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0711529
Entities
People
- Ian Sunshine