Hemothorax

The term hemothorax can be defined as the entry of pleural fluid and blood into the pleural cavity. Pleural fluid with a hematocrit of 25% - 50% of the patient’s blood could lead to the diagnosis of a hemothorax.[1] Hemothorax can also occur spontaneously or as a complication during or following surgery however,r this is much less common. The bleeding can originate from any intrathoracic structure and can compromise the function of the lungs.[2]


Mechanism of Injury / Pathological Process[edit | edit source]

Clinical Presentation[edit | edit source]

  • fever
  • pallor
  • chest pain
  • chest heaviness
  • dyspnea
  • tachycardia
  • cold sweats

Diagnostic Procedures[edit | edit source]


Management / Interventions[edit | edit source]

Differential Diagnosis[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Hemothorax.jpg

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Patrini D, Panagiotopoulos N, Pararajasingham J, Gvinianidze L, Iqbal Y, Lawrence DR. Etiology and management of spontaneous haemothorax. Journal of thoracic disease. 2015 Mar;7(3):520.
  2. Mancini MC, Scanlin T, Serebrisky D, Talavera F, Karwande SV, Milliken JC & Callahan C. Hemothorax (2018). Retrieved fromhttps://emedicine.medscape.com/article/2047916-overview