Pulmonary contusion
Background
- Direct injury to lung resulting in hemorrhage and edema in absence of lung laceration
- Flail chest almost always associated with contusion
Clinical Features
- Dyspnea
- Tachypnea
- Chest pain
- Coarse breath sounds
- Hypoxia
- Widened A-a gradient
Differential Diagnosis
Thoracic Trauma
- Airway/Pulmonary
- Cardiac/Vascular
- Cardiac injury
- Blunt cardiac injury
- Penetrating cardiac injury
- Cardiac tamponade
- Traumatic aortic transection
- Cardiac injury
- Musculoskeletal
- Other
Pulmonary Edema Types
- Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure <18 mmHg differentiates noncardiogenic from cardiogenic pulmonary edema[1]
Cardiogenic pulmonary edema
Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema
- Negative pressure pulmonary edema
- Upper airway obstruction
- Reexpansion pulmonary edema
- Strangulation
- Neurogenic causes
- Seizure
- Head trauma
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Electrocution
- Iatrogenic fluid overload
- Multiple blood transfusions
- IV fluid
- Inhalation injury
- Pulmonary contusion
- Aspiration pneumonia and pneumonitis
- Other
- High altitude pulmonary edema
- Hypertensive emergency
- ARDS
- Sympathetic crashing acute pulmonary edema (SCAPE)
- Immersion pulmonary edema
- Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
- Missed dialysis in kidney failure
- Naloxone reversal
Evaluation
- Areas of lung opacification on chest imaging within 6hr of blunt trauma is diagnostic
- CXR
- Patchy irregular infiltrates
- CT
- Ground-glass opacities in mild-moderate contusions, widespread consolidation if severe
- May pick up 70% of contusions not seen on CXR
- Contusion >20% of lung volume associated with 80% risk of developing ARDS
Management
- Ensure adequate ventilation
- Analgesia
- Ventilatory Assistance
- Patients with >25% of lung involvement frequently require ventilatory assistance
- NIV may be tried
- Intubate if NIV fails
- Low tidal volume, high PEEP
- Avoid unnecessary fluid administration
Disposition
See Also
- Rib Fracture
- Traumatic Pneumothorax
References
- Clark SB, Soos MP. Noncardiogenic Pulmonary Edema. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; October 1, 2020.
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