Chest Injury
Chest injury
Injuries to the chest can occur from falls and direct impact (such as in car accidents) when the rib cage and surrounding tissues become damaged. Broken ribs can lead to damage to the lungs, including the risk of a collapsed lung if the broken bone penetrates the space where the lungs are located.
If there is a penetrating wound, such as a bladed weapon injury, there could be a ‘sucking’ chest wound. While it is important to control the bleeding, you should try to keep the hole exposed to allow air to escape – a build-up of air in the cavity can put pressure on the other lung and the heart, putting life at risk.
Signs & Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of a chest injury include:
- Pain and discomfort in the chest
- Bruising to the chest area
- Pain when breathing in
- Shallow breathing
Signs and symptoms of a collapsed lung include:
- Severe difficulty breathing
- Painful breathing
- Fast, shallow breathing
- Blue lips and skin
- Pale, sweaty skin
- Uneven chest movements
- Shock
Signs and symptoms of a sucking chest wound include:
- An external wound with bleeding in the chest area.
- Sound of air being drawn into the wound.
- Blood may be bubbling.
Treatment
- Call 999/112.
- If there are no other apparent injuries, sit the casualty up and lean them towards their injured side.
- If it is a sucking chest wound, expose the wound and leave it open if possible.
- Apply pressure to stop the bleeding but do not block the hole with any dressings.
- If they become unconscious, open their airway, checking breathing and place in recovery position.
Specialist dressings (chest seals) for a sucking chest would are provided in some life threatening bleed kits.
