- P F Stahel: Klinik für Unfall- und Wiederherstellungschirurgie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany. pfstahel@aol.com
Thoracic injuries are a major cause of mortality during the "golden hour" of trauma. Many patients with chest trauma die after reaching the hospital. Less than 10% of all blunt thoracic injuries require a thoracotomy, and many potentially life-threatening conditions can be relieved by simple procedures, such as chest tube insertion.Thus, many cases of traumatic deaths due to chest injury may be prevented by prompt diagnosis and a standardized therapeutic approach in the emergency room. A high index of suspicion for lethal injury patterns, based on the mechanism of trauma and the clinical presentation, is a crucial prerequisite for an adequate initial assessment and management of patients with chest trauma. The worldwide implementation of standardized diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines, such as the "Advanced Trauma Life Support" (ATLS) protocol, has led to a significant reduction of early deaths attributed to thoracic injuries.