RT Book, Section A1 Reichman, Eric F. A2 Reichman, Eric F. SR Print(0) ID 1159797561 T1 Hilum and Great Vessel Wound Management T2 Reichman's Emergency Medicine Procedures, 3e YR 2018 FD 2018 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259861925 LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1159797561 RD 2024/10/12 AB Injuries to the thoracic great vessels can be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Large vessels in the hilum of the lung include the pulmonary artery and vein. The great vessels also include the vena cava, aorta, innominate artery, subclavian artery, and subclavian vein. The mortality from injuries to the subclavian artery is approximately 5% if patients who are moribund on admission to the Emergency Department are excluded.1 However, the mortality from injury to the vena cava and the pulmonary vessels is over 60%.2 While over 85% of patients with penetrating injuries to the thorax are stable, the remainder present in varying levels of hypovolemic shock. They may have bled externally or into the chest. Each hemithorax can hold up to one-half of an individual’s blood volume. In these cases, an Emergency Department thoracotomy may be performed for hypovolemic shock.