CASE REPORT   

Chirurgia 2019 October;32(5):284-7

DOI: 10.23736/S0394-9508.18.04950-1

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

A spectrum of cardiac trauma

Abdullah S. ALQATTAN ¹ ✉, Elham S. ALGHUSNAH ¹, Rawan M. ALFALAH ¹, Yasser ELGHONEIMY ²

¹ King Fahd University Hospital, Imam Abdurrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia; ² Department of Surgery, King Fahd Hospital of the University, Imam Abdurrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Cardiac trauma can be divided into blunt and penetrating cardiac trauma both of which can result in a fatal cardiac injury as they are associated with a high rate of death on scene that reaches up to more than 90%. Good outcomes are still possible if early detection was done, which can be achieved by a high index of suspicion, choosing the appropriate diagnostic modalities and a rapid surgical intervention. We report the rarity, diagnostic and surgical difficulties of 5 cases of traumatic cardiac injuries.

KEY WORDS: Heart rupture; Cardiac tamponade; Pneumopericardium