Citation

Tetsumoto K, Takayama M, Koyama T, Kayawake H, Saito M, Nakamura K, Takahashi Y, Hamakawa H. Acute Med. Surg. 2024; 11(1): e938.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Japanese Association for Acute Medicine, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ams2.938

PMID

38596161

PMCID

PMC11002335

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Penetrating cardiac injuries are usually fatal and associated with poor survival rates.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old man was injured in a motor vehicle accident and suffered from left hemothorax and multiple rib fractures near the heart. A comprehensive assessment raised suspicions of lacerated pericardium and myocardial injury. Consequently, a thoracoscopy was performed 9 h after injury. A penetrating cardiac injury was detected and surgically treated via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. The patient recovered uneventfully and was discharged on postoperative day 16.

CONCLUSION: Exploratory video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery may play a key role in the primary diagnosis of patients with high-energy chest traumas with cardiac injury and simultaneously allow for the appropriate surgical interventions.

Language: en

Keywords

penetrating injury; rib fracture; trauma; troponin; video‐assisted thoracoscopic surgery