PENETRATING CHEST INJURIES.

This is a retrospective study carried out in Fallujah teaching hospital during the period February 2007 –February 2012toevaluate thestyle of penetrating chest injuries and the methods used in their management, and to increase awareness of penetrating chest trauma. Materials and methods:-Data records were inspected of 248 patients seen at our thoracic surgery department in Fallujah teaching hospital over a 4-year period. Cases either received directly from causality department or referred to our hospital from other hospitals in Anbar governorate. Results:-Group contained 188 male (75.8%) and 60 female (24.2%) patients, with a mean age of 24 years. Of these patients, 154 (62.1%) had left sided, 84 (33.9%) had right-sided, and 10 (4%) had bilateral penetrating chest injury. Stab wounds comprised 75 cases (30.2%) and 38 patients (15.3%) caused by gunshot wounds and other patients 135 (54.4%) were victims of blast injury. Tube thoracostomy was the curative therapy required in 198 patients (79.8%), whereas 8 patients (3.2%) had conservative management and only 42 patients (16.9%) underwent thoracotomy. Mean hospitalization period was 6 days in the tube thoracostomy group whereas mean hospitalization duration in the thoracotomy group was 14 days. Conclusion:-In this study we emphasize that chest tube thoracostomy should remain by far the most common and appropriate method of treating penetrating injury to the thorax.