You are here

Article Text

Article menu
Download PDFPDF
Case report
Tension viscerothorax: an important differential for tension pneumothorax
  1. B McCann,
  2. A O’Gara
  1. Emergency Department, Waterford Regional Hospital, Ireland
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr B McCann
 Emergency Department, Waterford Regional Hospital, Ireland; bmaccannahotmail.com

https://doi.org/10.1136/emj.2003.008367

Statistics from Altmetric.com

    Request Permissions

    If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.

    We describe a case of acute tension viscerothorax secondary to blunt vehicular trauma causing diaphragmatic rupture. With sufficient gastric herniation to cause mediastinal shift and haemodynamic compromise, the clinical presentation may mimic that of tension pneumothorax. Tension viscerothorax is not referred to in the Advanced Trauma and Life Support1 (ATLS) manual.

    CASE REPORT

    A 70 year old male pedestrian was struck by a fast moving motor vehicle. On arrival at a local community hospital he was haemodynamically stable with blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate all within normal range. Positive examination and radiological findings included a right pubic ramus fracture, and an undisplaced right fibular fracture. Ten hours later he was transferred to a trauma facility for further management of his orthopaedic injuries.

    During transfer the patient deteriorated and on arrival at the regional trauma facility the patients respiratory …

    View Full Text