Pulmonary contusion

Abstract

Lung contusion resulting from chest trauma may be present various clinical pictures. It quite often remains unrecognized and is only suspected later when severe complications have developed. Lung contusion may present in association with chest trauma but may also occur alone. It has to be emphasized, that lung contusion as a clinical identity does not necessarily require a blunt or penetrating chest to be in the background. Nowadays, as a result of traffic accidents, following high energy deceleration, lung contusion may present without an actual tissue damage in the chest wall as a condition initiating an independent, lifethreatening generalised process. Although lung contusion shows similarities to blast injury of the lung with respect to clinical consequences, other factors play a role in its aetiology and pathology. Its description and recognition as an independent pathology is not simple. Several approaches exist: thoracic trauma, pulmonary contusion, pulmonary laceration, lung contusion; although these may show similar clinical signs, manifest in different pathologies. Pathologies with similar meaning and possibly similar clinical course cannot, actually, be differentiated; they may accompany other injuries to the trunk, skull or extremities, which, alone, are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Generally, it can be declared that besides high energy, blunt injuries affecting the trunk, lung contusion, has been an often neglected additional radiological finding attached to the main report, despite the fact, that its late consequences crucially determine the prospects of the injured.

Early local neutralization of CC16 in sepsis‑induced ALI following blunt chest trauma leads to delayed mortality without benefitting overall survival

“…Blunt chest (thoracic) trauma (TxT) is common in polytraumatized patients, and 20-25% of deaths in severely injured patients treated in emergency departments are caused by chest injuries ( 1 ). Typical complications in these patients include disseminated intravascular coagulation, pneumonia, acute lung injury (ALI), or its more severe form, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) ( 2 , 3 ). While the role of mechanical damage in the pathogenesis of post-traumatic complications associated with lung injury is undisputed, current research indicates that lung damage is driven by local and systemic inflammatory reactions ( 4 ).…”

Pulmonary Contusion Similar to COVID-19 Pneumonia

“…Most pulmonary contusions occur after diffuse and high energy blunt trauma. Uncomplicated contusions begin clearing within 24 to 48 hours and may resolve after 3-14 days [9,22,23]. In contrast, the lesions of COVID-19 progress rapidly and show concurrently increased number, extent and density of lesions in follow up CT scan [24][25][26][27].…”

Pulmonary contusion during the COVID-19 pandemic: challenges in diagnosis and treatment

“…SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious and the COVID-19 pandemic endangers overall health, posing new challenges for managing other diseases and events, including chest trauma [1]. Chest trauma combined with pulmonary contusion is one of the most common thoracic surgical emergencies [2]. The laboratory testing results and computed tomography (CT) images of patients with pulmonary contusion show some similarities to those of patients with acute pneumonia [3].…”

“…Pulmonary contusion is caused by an acute chest injury; most often motor vehicle accidents and falls from heights. The major clinical manifestations are chest pain, dyspnea, and hemoptysis [ 2 , 4 ]. Patients with COVID-19 generally have a clear history of close contact with a confirmed case.…”