Abstract
Introduction: Traumatic Asphyxia is probably much more common than the surgical literature shows and should always be kept in mind as a possible complication of injuries of the thorax and /or upper abdomen. Traumatic Asphyxia or Perthe’s syndrome is a result of a sudden and severe trauma of the thorax and /or upper abdomen. We report a case of traumatic Asphyxia due to an automobilistic accident.
Our patient is a 62-year-old male who was brought to the emergency room due to thorax trauma related to a bicycle accident. He got under a van from one side, and while the shaft of the van rotated, it pulled and crushed the patient between the body of the van and the shaft. There was no direct trauma history on the face and neck area of the patient. In our case, we found associated injuries such as a fracture of the right 7th rib, displaced fracture of the right tibia, and bilateral pulmonary contusion.
In our case, supportive therapy and specific treatment for the right tibial fracture were performed.
Conclusion: Perthes syndrome should be considered in patients presenting with the associated ecchymoses mask with cutaneous petechial hemorrhages and subconjunctival bleeding as a complication of compression of the thorax. The outcome is variable depending on the severity and duration of compression. When characteristic findings of traumatic Asphyxia are detected in traumatic patients, other organ pathologies should be quickly eliminated, and supportive therapy should be initiated. If any other organ pathology is detected, treatment for the detected pathology should be administered because the prognosis of patients with timely and effective treatment is considerably good.
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