Evaluation of the effect of early mechanical ventilation in the treatment of flail chest complicated with acute pulmonary contusion

Objective:To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of mechanical ventilation in the treatment of flail chest complicated with acute pulmonary contusion.Method:The data of 51 cases suffered of flail chest complicated with acute pulmonary contusion in our hospital from March 2001 to February 2010 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the starting time of mechanical ventilation,the patients were divided into two groups:the early mechanical ventilation group(n=32)and the later mechanical ventilation group(n=19).The parameters of blood gas,time of mechanical ventilation,time in intensive care unit(ICU),incidence of complications,and the mortality were compared between the two groups.Result:The degree of respiratory failure of the early mechanical ventilation group was serious than that of the later mechanical ventilation group on admission.However,the degree of respiratory failure of the former was more lightly than that of the latter 24 hours after ventilation(P0.01).The time of mechanical ventilation and in ICU of the former were obviously shorter than that of the latter,and the incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS) of the former was obviously lower too(P0.01).The incidence of pulmonary infection and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS) and mortality of the former were lower than those of the latter as well(P0.05).Conclusion: Early mechanical ventilation on patients suffered from flail chest complicated with acute pulmonary contusion can not only get satisfactory internal fixation but also effectively improve hypoxemia,reduce complications such as ARDS,MODS,shorten the time of mechanical ventilation and the time in ICU,and improve the cure rate.