Thoracic trauma in Nigerians: an eight year experience.

An eight-year combined retrospective and prospective review of thoracic trauma patients managed at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria between 1979 and 1986 is presented. Among 239 patients fully reviewed, were 189 (79.1%) males and 50 (20.9%) females. Mean age was 29.4 +/- 14.6 years. Road traffic accidents caused injuries in 72% of patients. The need for non-operative care, limited or extensive operations reflected severity of trauma except that eight severely injured patients were dead on arrival and another 12 were alive on arrival but died during resuscitation. Overall thoracotomy and mortality rates were 5.4% and 15.3% respectively. Unlike experience in developed countries there is a low incidence of penetrating, occupational and heart injuries and a high percentage of fractures of proximal ribs without associated aortic or bronchial ruptures. There is also a high incidence of multiple trauma.