CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF BLUNT CHEST TRAUMA AMONG IRAQI PATIENTS WITH UNDERLYING CARDIOPULMONARY DISEASE

Background: Blunt chest trauma is the leading cause of emergency department admissions and trauma-related morbidity around the world, particularly in countries with low to middle incomes. Internal medicine specialists believe that these individuals are more likely to experience abrupt cardiac decompensation, respiratory failure, and infectious complications. Objectives: Is to evaluate the clinical outcomes of blunt chest trauma among Iraqi patients with underlying cardiopulmonary disease. Methods: The study is an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. It was conducted between the 10th of January 2023 to the end of November 2025 at Tuz General Hospital in Salahiddin Governorate/Iraq. The study included 50 patients with cardiopulmonary disease presented to emergency department with chest trauma. The questionnaire was composed from three parts. The first part for patients’ demographic information; including patient age, gender, occupation. The second part for patients’ presentation. The third part for patients’ posttraumatic complication including chest infection, need for intensive care unit admission, need for mechanical ventilation and death. Results: The study includes 50 patients with cardiopulmonary disease, presented with chest trauma. The mean age ± standard deviation of the study participants is 48.16 ± 9.72 days. Male: Female ratio was 4.55:1. 26 (52%) patients had violence cause of chest trauma, 15 (30%) patients had blunt trauma and 9 (18%) patients had fall from height. the majority of patients had thoracic injury alone (38%) followed by thoracic associated with head injury (20%). Statistically significant difference between patients who died and those who recovered regarding their mean age (P value <0.001), ICU admission (P value < 0.001), need for mechanical ventilation (P value <0.001), thoracotomy intervention (P value <0.001), blood transfusion (P value <0.001) and need for laparotomy (P value < 0.001). Moreover, statistically significant difference between them regarding their complications (P value = 0.013), pneumonia (P value ,0.001) and wound sepsis (P value <0.001). Conclusion: The mortality rate in traumatic chest injury was highest in patients with advanced age, those requiring intensive care unit admission, and those requiring mechanical ventilation. In addition, patients who developed pneumonia or wound sepsis.