American Board of Surgery Qualifying Exam (ABS QE) Practice Test

Pulmonary contusion is associated with which type of fracture?

1. Scapular fracture

2. Sternal fracture

3. Humerus fracture

4. Pelvic fracture

The correct answer is: Sternal fracture

Pulmonary contusion is frequently associated with sternal fractures due to the mechanism of injury typically involved in blunt chest trauma. When the sternum is fractured, it often indicates a severe impact to the chest area, which can lead to direct injury to the underlying lung tissue, resulting in bruising or contusion. The proximity of the sternum to the lungs makes this relationship particularly significant. While other types of fractures might occur as a result of similar high-energy trauma, they are not as directly correlated with pulmonary contusions. Scapular fractures may also be associated with chest trauma but are less likely to directly impact the lung tissue compared to sternal fractures. Humerus and pelvic fractures typically arise from mechanisms that do not impart the same direct force to the thoracic cavity, making them less connected to the likelihood of establishing a pulmonary contusion. Thus, the sternal fracture shows a more consistent association with pulmonary injury in clinical scenarios.