Citation

Velmahos GC, Degiannis E, Souter I, Saadia R. Surgery 1994; 115(6): 694-697.

Affiliation

Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8197560

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the mortality rate of penetrating cardiac trauma in a large urban hospital. METHODS: This was a retrospective study over a period of 5 years and 5 months of all patients admitted alive with a stab or a gunshot cardiac injury. RESULTS: There were 310 patients with a stab wound and 63 with a gunshot wound. The overall mortality rate was 19%. The mortality rates for the stab and the gunshot groups were 13% and 50.7%, respectively. In the 296 patients with a cardiac stab wound confined to a single chamber and with no other associated extracardiac injury the mortality rate was 8.5%. CONCLUSIONS: An isolated cardiac stab wound is a relatively innocent injury in a patient at a hospital accustomed to managing penetrating trauma expeditiously.

Language: en