The Predictive Value of Chest Trauma Score and Thoracic Trauma Severity Score in Thoracic Trauma Patients

Trauma has been recognized as a leading cause of death and disability worldwide over the past few decades. Thoracic trauma is the third most common traumatic death, after head and spinal cord injury. The incidence of chest trauma is reported 10% of trauma admissions and mortality rate is variable ranging from about 10% to 60% . Trauma to thoracic region has a wide spectrum from chest wall injury to vital organs within the thoracic cavity. Thoracic injuries may be penetrating or blunt and management varies from conservative to invasive . Early accurate grading of chest injury severity is decisive for the clinical course of multiple trauma patients. The severity of chest trauma influences decision making in multiple trauma in terms of timing and priority of surgical interventions (early total care versus damage control) in order to avoid posttraumatic complications . Chest trauma can be classified as either blunt or penetrating type. Penetrating chest wounds are those in which an object penetrates the chest wall and creates an opening into the thoracic cavity. These wounds mostly result from stabbings, gunshot wounds and blast injuries . Blunt trauma to the chest occurs as a result of a force that is propelled onto the chest wall but does not leave an open wound. Motor vehicle accidents account for 90% of the entire blunt chest trauma, other possible causes include falls, crush injuries, sports injuries and acts of violence . chest wall injuries typically make breathing very painful; patients often limit inspiration (splinting). A common complication of splinting is atelectasis, which can lead to hypoxemia, pneumonia, or both . The aim of this prospective study is Comparing the diagnostic accuracy of chest Trauma Score and Thoracic Trauma Severity Score in predicting morbidity and mortality.