Pulmonary air leaks resulting from outdoor sports - A clinical series and literature review

The occurrence of pulmonary air leaks consequent to recreational sports is considered to be rare. We performed a retrospective records review for case s of pulmonary air leaks for the 5-year period 1993 to 1997 at a community hospital that serves a popular tourist destination area having intense year -round outdoor recreational activities. We identified 20 patients who had s ustained a spontaneous or traumatic pulmonary air leak while engaged in an outdoor sport. All but one case (95%) were due to blunt chest trauma. A tot al of nine different sports were involved, but the majority of cases (11, o r 55%) occurred during skiing or snow-boarding. Three (15%) patients died. Nine (53%) of the surviving 17 patients sustained injuries serious enough t o require hospitalization for tube thoracostomy and other trauma care. We c oncluded that pulmonary air leaks due to blunt chest trauma occur more freq uently in outdoor sports than the literature suggests.