Penetrating cardiac trauma. A case report.

10.17605/OSF.IO/CG8TJ

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Sánchez-Castrejón E. Penetrating cardiac trauma. A case report. Am J Med Surg • February 2022; 7(1). 17-20

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BACKGROUND: Cardiac trauma is the second most common cause of trauma-related death. Penetrating cardiac injury (PCI) is very lethal, with mortality rates of 70 % to 80 %. The common clinical presentation is cardiac tamponade with/ or hemorrhagic shock in most cases, which constitute a surgical emergency and require prompt treatment. Ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) are the main modality to evaluate it. The choice of the surgical approach depends on the experience of the surgeon, the expected injuries according to the probable trajectory of the wounds, and the evidence of associated injuries. We present the case of a 40-year-old male who presented a stab wound in Murdock's precordial zone that caused a penetrating injury to the right ventricle, which required emergency surgical management through median sternotomy with pericardiotomy and primary repair.

 

KEY WORDS: Cardiac trauma.