A pulmonary contusion is a contusion (bruise) of the lung, caused by chest trauma. As a result of damage to capillaries, blood and other fluids accumulate in the lung tissue. The excess fluid interferes with gas exchange, potentially leading to inadequate oxygen levels (hypoxia). Unlike pulmonary laceration, another type of lung injury, pulmonary contusion does not involve a cut or tear of the lung tissue. A pulmonary contusion usually is caused by blunt trauma but also is caused by explosions or a shock wave associated with penetrating trauma. With the use of explosives during World Wars I and II, pulmonary contusion resulting from blasts gained recognition. In the 1960s its occurrence began to receive wider recognition in civilians, for whom it is usually caused by traffic accidents. Often nothing more than supplemental oxygen and close monitoring is needed; however, intensive care may be required. The severity ranges from mild to deadly—small contusions may have little or no impact on the patient's health—yet pulmonary contusion is the most common type of potentially lethal chest trauma. With an estimated mortality rate of 14–40%, pulmonary contusion plays a key role in determining whether an individual will die or suffer serious ill effects as the result of trauma.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_contusion

_________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1443:

Rebelling against the Ottoman Empire, Skanderbeg and his forces liberated Kruja in Middle Albania and raised the Albanian flag. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skanderbeg)

1920:

Thirty-six local Irish Republican Army volunteers killed seventeen members of the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, marking a turning point in the Irish War of Independence. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilmichael_Ambush)

1979:

Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed into Antarctica's Mount Erebus, killing all 257 people on board. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_New_Zealand_Flight_901)

1990:

After being elected as leader of the British Conservative Party one day earlier, John Major officially succeeded Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Major)

1998:

The current Constitution of Albania, sanctioning a parliamentary republic, people's sovereignty, fundamental rights of the citizens, and other important points, was ratified via a voter-approved referendum. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Albania)

_______________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

cognoscente (n) Someone possessing superior or specialized knowledge in a particular field. (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cognoscente)

______________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Shall we make a new rule of life from tonight— always to try to be a little kinder than is necessary? --J. M. Barrie (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/J._M._Barrie)