Traumatic bronchial injuries in children.

Between 1975 and 1981 five children (three girls and two boys) from 3 to 11 years were treated for blunt chest trauma with major tears in two areas of the right main bronchus. All were hit or run over by motor vehicles and were in acute respiratory distress. All suffered right pneumothoraces; three did not respond to a chest tube with suction. Four of five children had subcutaneous emphysema, and two had fractured ribs on the ipsilateral side; three children also had contralateral chest injuries. Four had major extrathoracic injuries. Three children required early repair, while two needed late treatment. All five patients recovered well and have remained healthy from 5 to 10 years after injury. These cases serve as illustrations for a review of a survey of the literature.