Publication date: Sep 01, 2025
Delayed hemothorax (DHTX) is a possible sequelae of thoracic trauma, especially in the setting of patients being treated with anticoagulation. We report the case of an 81-year-old Caucasian man with a DHTX presenting 14 days following an initial emergency department (ED) visit with multiple rib fractures due to a fall from the patient’s bed. Upon presentation to the ED a second time, the patient was hospitalized, tested positive for COVID-19, and on the second day of admission underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) without bleeding or other complications. This case illustrates that the initial weeks following thoracic trauma present a critical time window during which monitoring for complications such as spontaneous or DHTX can be beneficial, especially in patients being treated with anticoagulant medication. VATS is safe in patients who can tolerate single-lung anesthesia and provides a less invasive way to resolve the underlying pathology while providing comparable or even improved clinical outcomes, and should be considered when treating patients with hemothorax.
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| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| Caucasian | covid-19 |
| Invasive | delayed hemothorax |
| Surgery | geriatric fall |
| Video | geriatrics |
| Weeks | ground level fall |
| post-traumatic hemothorax | |
| rib fracture |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | Hemothorax |
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 |
| disease | MESH | sequelae |
| disease | MESH | emergency |
| disease | MESH | bleeding |