TY - JOUR
TI - Blunt and penetrating trauma of the thoracic aorta and aortic arch
branches: An autopsy study
AU - Dosios, TJ
AU - Salemis, N
AU - Angouras, D
AU - Nonas, E
JO - JOURNAL OF TRAUMA-INJURY INFECTION AND CRITICAL CARE
PY - 2000
VL - 49
TODO - 4
SP - 696-703
PB - Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
SN - null
TODO - 10.1097/00005373-200010000-00018
TODO - null
TODO - Background: Due to the highly lethal nature of trauma of the thoracic
aorta and aortic arch branches (TA-AAB), autopsy studies are essential
for the investigation of its epidemiologic characteristics.
Methods: The reports of 11,446 consecutive medicolegal autopsies were
reviewed. Among 1,980 injury-related fatalities, 251 victims (12.7%)
with 302 TA-AAB injuries were found. Several trauma variables were
recorded and their relations were examined.
Results: Blunt TA-AAB injuries were recorded in 86.4% of the victims.
They were located mainly at the aortic isthmus and distal descending
thoracic aorta and were accompanied to a great extent by extrathoracic
trauma. The vast majority of penetrating lacerations were located at the
ascending aorta, arch, and arch branches and were mostly associated with
other lethal intrathoracic injuries. All penetrating trauma victims died
before reaching the hospital, whereas 5.5% of the blunt trauma victims
were admitted to the hospital alive.
Conclusion: Major differences between blunt and penetrating TA-AAB
injuries were revealed, regarding their location, patterns of
concomitant injuries, and victims’ survival time. Patients injured in
motor vehicle crashes, as opposed to various other causes of trauma,
were found to have the best chances of reaching the hospital alive.
ER -