Chest injury is a component in a 50% of major trauma cases, and accounts for 25% of the deaths1,2.
For the personal injury lawyer, traumatic injury to the chest covers a large range of severity, from immediately lethal penetrating injury through relatively trivial blows that trigger long-term symptoms.
Severe blunt injury is usually accompanied by multiple other injuries that largely determine the prognosis3 []. However, for isolated severe blunt injury, satisfactory vital signs on arrival at hospital predicts a good outcome3 []. Rupture of the heart or pericardium has at least a 50% mortality rate, even for those with vital signs on admission4.
Serious internal injury can occur in the absence of any fractures2.
Even for relatively minor chest trauma, lack of adequate resuscitation and stabilisation before transportation to a major medical centre can cause preventable death5.
A blow to the chest can provoke cardiac arrhythmia6 or myocardial infarction7.