When lung tissue is destroyed as a result of TBI complications, pneumonectomy or lobectomy (removal of a lung or of one lobe, respectively) may be required. Pneumonectomy is avoided whenever possible due to the high rate of death associated with the procedure. Surgery to repair a tear in the tracheobronchial tree can be successful even when it is performed months after the trauma, as can occur if the diagnosis of TBI is delayed. When airway stenosis results after delayed diagnosis, surgery is similar to that performed after early diagnosis: the stenotic section is removed and the cut airway is repaired. Prognosis and complications
Most people with TBI who die do so within minutes of the injury, due to complications such as pneumothorax and insufficient airway and to other injuries that occurred at the same time. Most late deaths that occur in TBI are attributed to sepsis or multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). If the condition is not recognized and treated early, serious complications are more likely to occur; for example, pneumonia and bronchiectasis may occur as late complications. Years can pass before the condition is recognized. Some TBI are so small that they do not have significant clinical manifestations; they may never be noticed or diagnosed and may heal without intervention.If granulation tissue grows over the injured site, it can cause stenosis of the airway, after a week to a month. The granulation tissue must be surgically excised. Delayed diagnosis of a bronchial rupture increases risk of infection and lengthens hospital stay.
In 1873, Seuvre made one of the earliest reports of TBI in the medical literature: a 74-year-old woman whose chest was crushed by a wagon wheel was found on autopsy to have an avulsion of the right bronchus. Long-term survival of the injury was unknown in humans until a report was made of a person who survived in 1927. In 1931, a report made by Nissen described successful removal of a lung in a 12-year-old girl who had had narrowing of the bronchus due to the injury. Repair of TBI was probably first attempted in 1945, when the first documented case of a successful suturing of a lacerated bronchus was made. Prior to 1950, the mortality rate was 36%; it had fallen to 9% by 2001; this improvement was likely due to improvements in treatments and surgical techniques, including those for injuries commonly associated with TBI. Notes
References
Riley RD, Miller PR, Meredith JW (2004). "Injury to the esophagus, trachea, and bronchus". In Moore EJ, Feliciano DV, Mattox KL (eds.). Trauma. New York: McGraw-Hill, Medical Pub. Division. pp. 544–52. ISBN 0-07-137069-2. Retrieved 2008-06-15. == External links ==