Clinical manifestations and forensic medical evaluation of hemothorax

Objtctive: to determine the degree of validity of the allocation of traumatic hemothorax as a medical criterion of a qualifying trait in respect of serious harm to health, which is life-threatening. Material and Methods. A retrospective analysis of 130 case histories of the patients of the Department of Thoracic Surgery was carried out at Penza Clinical Hospital n.a. N.N. Burdenko. The sex, age, severity of the patient''s condition, the volume of blood in the pleural cavity, complications of hemothorax (GT), the time between trauma and seeking medical help, and other injuries were analyzed. Results. It was found out that among patients with HT men were 4,2 times more than women. HT developed after traumatic exposure to the thorax in patients of both gender groups. Conclusion. The severity of the condition of patients with HT is determined by the volume of blood in the pleural cavity, complications, the presence of concomitant damages, the number of days between receiving an injury and contacting a medical organization. In the formulation of p. 6.1.10 Order No. 194n of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of April 24, 2008, "On the Approval of Medical Criteria for Determining the Severity of Harm to Human Health" we should add the phrase: "...or a severe or medium hemothorax that causes a life threatening condition..." aiming at an objective forensic evaluation of traumatic h e moth о rax.