TWO CASES OF TRACHEAL DISRUPTION DUE TO BLUNT CHEST TRAUMA

Tracheal disruption due to blunt chest trauma is relatively rare but often fetal. Further improvement in life-saving strategy is expected. Here two cases of tracheal disruption due to a traffic accident with different clinical course are reported on. Case I: A 35-year-old woman manifested tension pneumothorax immediately after the injury to develop dyspnea. Emergency operation was carried out within 4 hours after the injury. Tracheoplastic procedure was able to save the patient's life. Case II: A 58-year-old man had a completed atelectasis of the left lung due to encapsulated tracheal disruption three weeks after a traffic accident and was also successfully treated by tracheoplastic procedure. It should be emphasized that early diagnosis and primary repair are important in the treatment of tracheal distruption due to blunt chest trauma.