[Emergency surgical indications in chest injuries].

Urgent surgical intervention is required by ten to twelve per cent of all patients with thorax injuries. The author's figures were 2.3 per cent of all his 5,518 patients or 16 per cent of the severe cases among them. Immediate surgical action has proved to be necessary to cope with massive bleeding, bronchus injuries, open pneumothorax, cardiac tamponade, aortic rupture as well as with injuries of the diaphragm and oesophagus. Prognoses are good in many cases, even with considerable loss of blood. Lethality figures, depending on age and accompanying injuries, were between ten and 15 per cent for blunt injuries or something between three and five per cent for penetrating injuries.