DOI Prefix This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: Penetrating cardiac injury is often a lethal form of trauma. Understanding the mechanisms, types and complications of cardiac injuries is important for appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to report our outcomes of penetrating cardiac trauma and propose an algorithm for its management.
Patient age, gender, mechanism of injury, risk factors, associated injuries, complications and treatment were reviewed. Multichamber injury was found in 10 4. Conclusions: Prompt coordinated and multidisciplinary management of penetrating intrathoracic injuries can lead to good survival even from severe intrathoracic organ injuries. Results In our study the most common sites of penetrating injuries there found in juxta cardiac zone, which is defined superiorly by the clavicles and sternal notch, laterally by the nipple line and inferiorly by the costal margins.
Wounds outside the margins of the juxtacardiac zone do not exclude cardiac injury but also should be suspected with wounds to the upper abdomen, chest, back, and neck.
The mean time from injury to surgery was Whereas in , time to reach the hospital was 4. Despite advances in emergency medical care, ambulance service, penetrating cardiac injuries continues to carry a high on-scene and immediate post injury mortality. Multichamber injury was in 10 cases 4. Eight patients had injury of up to 3 cm. Four patients had injuries to the great vessels, and foreign body was found in 9 4. Sternum was injured in 5 2. Four patients were put on cardiopulmonary bypass machine and coronary artery injuries were sutured in two patients, one had tricuspid valve repair and one ventricular septal repair.
Thoracoabdominal injury had 25 The most common abdominal injuries were: small bowel 7 3. One patient had thyroid injury 0. Table 1 demonstrates localization of thoracic and abdominal organs injuries. Explorative laparotomy was performed in 21 9.
