Isolated open bronchus fracture after open die forging

Isabella B Metelmann; Annett Oltmans; Sebastian Kraemer

doi:10.1016/j.tcr.2021.100460

Isolated open bronchus fracture after open die forging

Trauma Case Rep. 2021 Mar 17:32:100460. doi: 10.1016/j.tcr.2021.100460. eCollection 2021 Apr.

Authors

Isabella B Metelmann¹, Annett Oltmans², Sebastian Kraemer¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Visceral, Transplant, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital of Leipzig, Liebigstrasse 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
² Department of Pneumology, University Hospital of Leipzig, Liebigstrasse 20, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.

Abstract

We present a case of an isolated open bronchus rupture following blunt thoracic trauma. Tracheobronchial injuries (TBI) following blunt chest trauma are a rare but possibly life-threatening condition. Though typically associated with additional injuries, high-energy blunt trauma led to perforating chest wound alone. A bronchial injury has not been seen neither in preoperative CT scan nor intraoperatively. This underlines the strong need for bronchoscopy in chest trauma as the only definitive diagnostic in bronchial lesions.

Keywords: Blunt chest trauma; Bronchoscopy; Bronchus rupture; Thoracic trauma; Tracheobronchial injury.

Publication types

Case Reports