Bruised Lung ?

[Huderon]

This is curiosity on my part.

Ambulance crew attend a road traffic accident where an elderly lady turned her car over. She had no idea what happened or how, but was complaining of a pain in her chest.

Examination showed no bruising or obvious sign of any cracked ribs, and nothing unusual was heard with a stethoscope.

The ambulance crew are back at the hospital they delivered the lady to later in the day, and are told that the chest pain was the result of a bruised lung (or lungs).

Are the lungs really more delicate than I think or is there really enough space in the chest cavity to allow them to bang up against the ribcage with sufficient force to cause bruising ?

[dannyk13]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_contusion

[RATTER15]

I dont think the lungs need any room to swing around to get bruised, the lung could get bruised just from a sudden impact and being compressed in the same way other organs can. I may be wrong though!

[Sqad]

\\\\Are the lungs really more delicate than I think or is there really enough space in the chest cavity to allow them to bang up against the ribcage with sufficient force to cause bruising ?\\
Two of the most important organs in the body need the best protection against blunt force.......and they get it. Note in a boxing match how a boxer can get persistent punches to the chest wall over 12 rounds and lung injuries in boxers are uncommon....very uncommon.
The lungs have two layers of material wrapped around them (pleura) between which is a nice liquid lubricating surface to fend of the effects of blunt force and then of course there is the boney muscular structure called the rib cage which gives good protection to the lungs.

Please not: medics often "coin" a diagnosis with little or no evidence to explain a symptom ( chest pain). It is called reassuring the patient that they know what is causing a symptom, it doesn't mean it is necessarily the truth.

[Huderon]

Thank you for your answers, most helpful !

Mrs H was one of the ambulance crew and she mentioned it this morning while she was winding down after her shift. I was curious, never having heard of anything like that before, hence the question.