Table 5. Comparison between emergency thoracotomy patients treated with or without damage control and thoracic packing.
| Variable | Damage control surgery (n = 53) | Initial definitive surgical management (n = 63) |
|---|---|---|
| Respiratory parameters, first day post-trauma | ||
| FiO2, (median IQR) | 0.5 (0.5 - 0.5) | 0.5 (0.4 - 0.6) |
| PO2/FiO2, (median IQR) | 332.8 (155 - 3909 | 262.9 (173.3 - 413.2) |
| Arterial pH, (median IQR) | 7.27 (7.15 - 7.29) | 7.33 (7.26 - 7.37) |
| PCO2, (median IQR) | 41.6 (36.8 - 44.5) | 36.3 (32.3 - 42.5)* |
| Base deficit mmol/L (median IQR) | 8 (6 - 12.9) | 5.8 (3.7 - 9.0)* |
| Tidal volume ml, (median IQR) | 480 (450 - 500) | 510 (484 - 550)** |
| Respiratory rate, breathings/min (median IQR) | 18 (16 - 22) | 17 (15 - 20) |
| PEEP, H2O cm (median IQR) | 5 (5 - 8) | 5 (5 - 6) |
| Peak inspiratory pressure, H2O cm (median IQR) | 28 (25 - 32) | 25 (22 - 29)** |
| Dynamic compliance, (median IQR) | 21.5 (19.2 - 25) | 25.2 (22.7 - 31.9)** |
| Clinical results | ||
| Days-off of Mechanical Ventilation, (median IQR) | 25 (0 - 27) | 29 (24 - 29)*** |
| Patients with mechanical ventilation complications, n (%) | 9 (33.3) | 7 (18.9) |
| Atelectasis, n (%) | 6 (22.2) | 5 (13.5) |
| Pneumonia, n (%) | 6 (22.2) | 5 (13.5) |
| Pneumothorax, n (%) | 0 (--) | 3 (8.1) |
| Mortality, n (%) | 7 (25.9) | 5 (13.5) |
IQR interquartile range. PEEP Positive end expiratory pressure.
Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test * <0.05 ** <0.01 *** <0.001