Southern medical journal
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From July 1988 to July 1990, 159 consecutive cases of major blunt chest injury were evaluated prospectively for myocardial contusion with serial electrocardiographic monitoring, cardiac isoenzyme studies, and two-dimensional echocardiography. One hundred and forty-seven cases in the series were assessable; 97 of the patients were male, and 50 were female. They ranged in age from 2 to 97 years (average, 38.5 years). ⋯ Two patients (11%) with abnormal isoenzyme patterns experienced dysrhythmias. Costs for hospitalization and studies amounted to $1,886 per patient. Given the poor predictive value of laboratory testing in patients with significant (ie, symptomatic) cardiac contusion, observation alone with electrocardiographic monitoring and treatment of symptomatic dysrhythmias is an adequate and cost-conscious treatment.