[Characteristics of diagnosis and surgical tactics in penetrating thoracic injuries].

The penetrating thoracic injury was observed in 355 patients. Primary debridement (PD) of a wound was performed in 23, PD and closed drainage of the pleural cavity--in 33, PD with subsequent thoracotomy--in 42, thoracotomy--in 257 patients. Injury to the lung was observed in 185 patients, heart--in 46, major vessels--in 9, thoraco-abdominal--in 47. Complications occurred in 54 (15.2%) patients: in 8--continued bleeding, in 21--pneumonia, in 19--pyothorax, in 6--wound suppuration and costal osteomyelitis. Eighteen (5%) patients died: 15--from hemorrhagic shock and massive bleeding, 2--from sepsis and abscessed pneumonia, 1--from peritonitis and intraabdominal bleeding.