Bronchial and cardiac ruptures due to blunt trauma

Abstract

Tracheobronchial and cardiac injuries following blunt thoracic trauma are uncommon but can be life-threatening. We report a case in which the patient with bronchial and right atrial ruptures due to blunt trauma survived after emergent repairs. An 18-year-old female driver was transported to our hospital after a traffic accident and was hemodynamically stable on arrival. Chest computed tomography revealed cervicomediastinal emphysema and hemopericardium, and fiberoptic bronchoscopy showed a tear in the right main bronchus. She was intubated with a double-lumen endotracheal tube guided by bronchoscopy. A median sternotomy was undertaken, and a laceration of the right atrium was oversewn without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. After that, right-sided thoracotomy was performed. The tear in the membranous portion of the right main bronchus was repaired with interrupted sutures, and the suture lines were wrapped with a pedicled flap of intercostal muscle.