Thoracic trauma at Siriraj Hospital 1997-2006.

Thoracic trauma is a common injury that has a high mortality rate. Fortunately, most can be treated by a simple maneuver as intercostal drainage (79.4%). During the decade 1997-2006, there were 897 admitted patients in the Trauma division of Siriraj Hospital. Most were men (85.5%) and the common age group was 21-30 years. Blunt trauma was the major type of injury (58.9%) and traffic accidents were common causes. Abdominal injury was the most common associated injury. After the management was improved, the overall mortality rate was reduced from 7.0% to 5.1%. Today, minimally invasive surgery such as laparoscopy can reduce hospital stays and pain in patients with thoracoabdominal injury.