Author: Mike Hunt, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Blunt cardiac injuries most commonly occur in motor vehicle collisions, auto-pedestrian collisions, and from sports injuries
• The more anterior right ventricle is the most commonly injured structure
• Look for new EKG changes such as bundle branch blocks, ST changes, or other arrhythmias
• New EKG abnormalities should prompt consideration of further workup and admission for telemetry
• Patients may have an elevated troponin - but it is unclear when exactly this should be drawn after the injury

References:

Bellister SA, Dennis BM, Guillamondegui OD. Blunt and Penetrating Cardiac Trauma. Surg Clin North Am. 2017 Oct;97(5):1065-1076. doi: 10.1016/j.suc.2017.06.012. Review. PubMed PMID: 28958358.

Marcolini EG, Keegan J. Blunt Cardiac Injury. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2015 Aug;33(3):519-27. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2015.04.003. Epub 2015 Jun 10. Review. PubMed PMID: 26226863.

Summarized by Travis Barlock, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD