Sixty children were admitted to the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital for the treatment of thoracic injuries for about a 10- year period ending in August, 1995. We reviewed the hospital records retrospectively, to see the characteristics of the scope and consequences of childhood chest injuries. Mean age was 9 years and forty-six cases(77%) were male. Fifty children(83%) were victims of a blunt trauma. Among the blunt trauma patients, more than 60% were traffic-related. All victims of penetrating trauma were male. Among the blunt trauma patients, rib fracture was the most frequently found (52%) followed by pneumothorax(42%), although significant intrathoracic injuries occurred without rib fractures in 32% of blunt trauma cases. Associated injuries were present in 42% of children reviewed. Most frequently performed surgical procedure was closed thoracostomy(45%), and ten children required thoracotomy and fifteen needed assisted ventilation. Modified Injury Severity Scale(MISS) score was measured in the multiple injured group. MISS score correlated significantly with the length of stay in the intensive care unit. One child(1.7%), involved in a traffic accident, died of sepsis.

Keywords: 1. Trauma, thoracic 2. Pediatric