JACEP
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Of 20 patients with blunt chest trauma who underwent cardiac scanning, serial electrocardiography and cardiac monitoring to rule out myocardial contusion, four had positive cardiac scans. All four had electrocardiographic abnormalities: three had nonspecific ST-T wave changes, and the fourth had electrocardiographic evidence of an acute subendocardial infarction. ⋯ On the basis of this data, electrocardiogram changes in the traumatized patient have various causes. Cardiac scanning appears to be a useful adjunct to electrocardiography in confirming the presence of myocardial contusion.