How early should VATS be performed for retained haemothorax in blunt chest trauma?

• Published in: Injury Vol. 45; no. 9; pp. 1359 - 1364
• Main Authors: Lin, Hsing-Lin, Huang, Wen-Yen, Yang, Chyan, Chou, Shih-Min, Chiang, Hsin-I., Kuo, Liang-Chi, Lin, Tsung-Ying, Chou, Yi-Pin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2014
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Blunt injury; Chest Tubes - adverse effects; Early Diagnosis; Female; Haemothorax; Hemothorax - etiology; Hemothorax - surgery; Humans; Infection; Length of stay; Length of Stay - statistics & numerical data; Male; Middle Aged; Orthopedics; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Taiwan; Thoracic Injuries - complications; Thoracic Injuries - surgery; Thoracic injury; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted - methods; Time Factors; Trauma Severity Indices; Treatment Outcome; Ventilator; Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery; Wounds, Nonpenetrating - complications; Wounds, Nonpenetrating - surgery; Taiwan; Infection; Ventilator; Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery; Haemothorax; Thoracic injury; Blunt injury; Length of stay

Blunt chest injury is not uncommon in trauma patients. Haemothorax and pneumothorax may occur in these patients, and some of them will develop retained pleural collections. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has become an appropriate method for treating these complications, but the optimal...