Abstract:
Background: Chest injuries are major public health problems that commonly appear on the
morbidity and mortality reports of the health institutions in Ethiopia. Despite this prevailing
phenomenon, limited attention has been given to chest injuries as health problems and which is
continuing challenge for the health professionals.
Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the management outcome and prognostic
factors of chest injury in Nekemte Referral Hospital.
Method: A half year institution based prospective cross-sectional study design was conducted at
Nekemte referral hospital on 183 patients with chest injury. Data were collected by using
interviewer administrated structured questioners by trained data collectors and analysis was done
using SPSS version 22. Descriptive analysis was performed to describe number and percentage
and logistic regression model was fitted to assess the effect of independent variable on the
dependent variable.
Result: Chest injury was found to be 4%(n=183) in the hospital. And most victims ware males
88.5% with the pick age range in between 20-29 years 41%. And fighting was the leading cause
of chest injury witch accounts 31.1%. And patients who sustained animal injury were 6.8 times
more likely to have bad outcome than patients who sustained chest injury by smuggling.
Penetrating type of chest injury was the prevalent 53%. And 35.5% of the patients had associated
injury, commonly head injury 33.8%. Hemopneumothorax is the leading diagnosis with was made
on 27.9% of the patients. 56.8% of the patients managed only by inserting chest tube. 131 (72%)
had good outcome having been improved without complication. And 6(3.3%) patients died.
Anemia is the prevalent post injury complications 14.8%. And 43.7% patients were stayed for 2
to 7 days in the hospital.
Conclusion & Recommendation:
Fighting founded to be the major etiological factor with a higher rate of penetrating chest injuries.
The majority of the patients were successfully managed by tube Thoracotomy. Urgent preventive
measures targeting at reducing the occurrence of inter personal violence and avoidance of Sharpe
materials handling by the civilians, RTA, animal injury, and occupational injuries, and also
improve management of surgical emergencies from the place of accident to the hospital will
decrease the overall morbidity and mortality.
