• Kazuhiro Suzuki, H Thuboi, and H Okada.
• Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Yamaguchi Grand Hospital, Hohu, Japan.
• Kyobu Geka. 2008 Mar 1;61(3):188-90.

AbstractWe report 2 cases of surgical treatment of blunt cardiac trauma. The postoperative course was uneventful in either case. Pericardial drainage in patients with cardiac rupture should be performed with preparation for thoracotomy. Case 1: A 34-year-old male, hit in the chest by a collapsing 700-kg steel rod, was transported to our hospital via ambulance. The patient was diagnosed as having a cardiac rupture by echocardiography and underwent emergency thoracotomy. The right atrium near the inferior vena cava (IVC) was damaged, though bleeding from the wound had already ceased. No suture hemostusis was needed. Case 2: A 63-year-old female was hit by a car and transported to our hospital due to blunt trauma to the chest. Low blood pressure and chest computed tomography demonstrated cardiac tamponade, and subxiphoid pericardial drainage was performed. Blood pressure was recovered, but persistent hemorrhage necessitated emergency thoracotomy, which revealed a laceration at the right atrium near IVC. The injury was sutured to achieve complete hemostasis.

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