Partial Heart Herniation: An Unusual Manifestation of Trans-Mediastinal Gunshot Injury

Identification of the exact cause and time of death are important questions that have to be answered by the forensic pathologist. Traumatic cardiac injuries is a leading cause of death. This work aimed at using cardiac troponin C (cTnC) expression to differentiate between different types of cardiac injuries at different postmortem intervals (PMI). This study was performed on 90 forensic autopsies selected in the Medicolegal Department of Ministry of Justice. The cases were divided equally into 5 groups of different causes of death i.e. non-cardiac causes of death (control group), blunt cardiac injury (BCI), civilian cardiac firearm injury, civilian stab injury and sudden cardiac death (SCD). Brown Immunohistochemical expression of TnC was observed in all groups, where the non-cardiac death, blunt injury and firearm injury groups showed less immunohistochemical staining than stab injury and SCD. The density of the cTnC immunohistochemical staining increased by the increase in the PMI. Quantitative morphometric measurement of cTnC immunohistochemical expression was measured. Significant increases in the mean surface area of cTnC immunohistochemical expression were detected in the groups of only stab injury and SCD compared to the other studied groups (p<0.001), while non-significant differences were detected between non-cardiac, BCI and civilian cardiac firearm injury groups. Besides, the mean surface area of cTnC immunohistochemical expression increased significantly by the increase in the postmortem interval. These findings suggest that the mean surface area of cTnC immunohistochemical expression can differentiate between cardiac and non-cardiac deaths, and between the different types of cardiac deaths.

Resuscitative thoracotomy

Ten-Year Trends in Traumatic Cardiac Injury and Outcomes: A Trauma Registry Analysis

Introduction: Patients presenting with cardiac injuries from gunshot wounds and blunt chest trauma have high mortality, without any observed survival benefit when presenting with cardiac tamponade. Cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening hemodynamically significant compression of the heart by a sudden or gradual accumulation of collections in the pericardial space that incites and overrides the body’s compensatory mechanism. Clinical Case: We present and discuss the successful management and survival of two patients with traumatic cardiac tamponade from gunshot wounds to the precordium who underwent successful lifesaving median sternotomy at a Teaching Hospital in Ghana with a new Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Unit. Discussion: Usually the diagnosis of cardiac tamponade from traumatic haemopericardium is made by clinical findings which though may not always be present especially after blunt chest trauma. EFAST is a reliable tool for diagnosing and following cardiac tamponade. Median sternotomy is the standard procedure in these patients to access and repair cardiac injury either with or without cardiopulmonary bypass. Conclusion: Emergency median sternotomy in patients with cardiac tamponade from chest trauma especially after EFAST diagnosis can be lifesaving even in less resourced centres.

DIAGNOSIS of lesions of the heart related to blunt trauma is a challenge, mainly because of confusion about the terms used and the absence of recognized standards. It has been recommended that the term myocardial contusion be avoided and that the term blunt cardiac trauma be used only in the presence of pump failure or malignant cardiac rhythms. These uncertainties make the literature difficult to analyze and compare. The clinician is left knowing that “myocardial contusion” occurs in blunt trauma and may be responsible for significant clinical events (arrhythmias and perioperative hemodynamic instability, including cardiogenic shock and death). Moreover, assessment of the heart in blunt trauma also includes assessment of intracardiac volume, the pericardium, and rare surgical lesions, such as valve rupture, septal defect, and coronary artery lesions. The aim of this Clinical Concepts and Commentary article is to provide the clinician with a brief review of the literature and some recommendations that could be useful in clinical practice.

This is a report of a 22-year experience with penetrating cardiac trauma at a single urban Level I trauma center. We conducted a retrospective chart review supplemented by computerized patient log. Comparisons of mortality between Period 1 (1975-1985; 113 patients) and Period 2 (1986-1996; 79 patients) were by chi2 or Fisher's exact tests. Statistical significance was defined as P < or = 0.05. From 1975 to 1996, 192 patients (mean age, 32 years; 88% male) with penetrating cardiac stab wounds (68%) or gunshot wounds (32%) were treated. The most common initial clinical presentation was cardiac tamponade, and most patients (54%) were hypotensive (systolic blood pressure 30-90 mm Hg). The most common initial intervention in the emergency center was tube thoracostomy. The use of pericardiocentesis as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality in the emergency center virtually disappeared in Period 2, as compared with Period 1. Since 1994, surgeon-performed cardiac ultrasound has been performed and has correctly diagnosed hemopericardium in 12 patients (100% survival). The overall mortality for all patients during the 22-year study interval was 25 per cent and was not significantly different between Period 1 (27%) and Period 2 (22%). The mortality associated with gunshot wounds was increased compared with that of stab wounds. Similarly, mortality for patients who arrested in the emergency center was increased compared with those patients who did not arrest. We conclude: 1) cardiac tamponade is the most common presentation in patients with cardiac wounds; 2) pericardiocentesis in the emergency center has essentially disappeared; 3) surgeon-performed ultrasound of the pericardium should improve survival of future patients who are normotensive or mildly hypotensive; 4) over the last 11 years, there has been a substantial decrease in mortality in patients with stab wounds and a statistically significant decrease in arrested patients; and 5) overall mortality for penetrating cardiac trauma has not changed during the 22-year interval.

The Use of Transesophageal Echocardiography to Facilitate Removal of a Thoracic Nail

Trauma is the leading cause of death in United States in the younger population. Cardiac trauma is common following blunt chest injuries and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. This study discusses various multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) findings of cardiac trauma. Cardiac injuries are broadly categorized into the most commonly occurring blunt cardiac injury and the less commonly occurring penetrating injury. Signs and symptoms of cardiac injury can be masked by the associated injuries. Each imaging modality including chest radiographs, echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging and MDCT has role in evaluating these patients. However, MDCT is noninvasive; universally available and has a high spatial, contrast, and temporal resolution. It is a one stop shop to diagnose and evaluate complications of cardiac injury. MDCT is an imaging modality of choice to evaluate patients with cardiac injuries especially the injuries capable of causing hemodynamic instability.

PP-218 DO SERUM BILIRUBIN LEVELS INDICATE THE SEVERITY OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE?

PP-217 PENETRATING CARDIAC INJURIES ADMITTED TO A STATE HOSPITAL; ONE-YEAR EXPERIENCE

Introduction: Cardiac involvement in the setting of thoracic trauma is possible with both blunt and penetrating mechanisms. Overall, structural cardiac injury is rare, but when it occurs, it requires immediate diagnosis. We evaluated our process in decision-taking and further surgical procedures if necessary. The aim of this retrospective study is (1) the analysis of cardiac injury patterns and their therapeutic approaches, (2) in how many of these cases a cardiothoracic surgeon is needed in trauma room care and (3) in how many patients cardiothoracic surgery was indicated. Patients and Methods: We analyzed all blunt and penetrating trauma patients with suspected cardiac injury at the time of admission between 7/2016 and 7/2021. Sonography, cardiac enzymes, and electrocardiography were obtained obligatorily. Computed tomography (CT) was carried out in hemodynamically stable patients. Trauma room protocols were analyzed including available Injury Severy Scores (ISS). Data on cardiac injuries, operations, access routes, outcomes and hospitalization were evaluated. Results: In total, 43 patients with cardiac injury at the time of admission could be identified. Contusio cordis was detected in 27 patients (63%), in whom conservative therapy was performed. We indicated surgical intervention in 16 patients (37.2%): nine patients (21%) after blunt chest trauma with cardiac or pericardial injuries, mean ISS 37.3 (9.7). These included tricuspid regurgitation after traumatic rupture of chordae tendineae and rupture of the left atrial appendage. Seven patients (16%) underwent surgery for penetrating chest trauma: six for cardiac knife injury, one patient for iatrogenic drainage dislocation in the left ventricle. Mortality was 22% in surgically treated blunt trauma patients, whereas no mortality was observed in penetrating trauma. Discussion: The most common cardiac injury after blunt thoracic trauma is contusio cordis. In these patients’ surgical treatment is usually not necessary. In contrast, thoracic trauma with structural cardiac injury needs a coordinated and interdisciplinary management in a center with cardiothoracic surgery. In addition to anamnesis and clinical examination, sonography with echocardiography and CT in particular play a decisive role in a rapid diagnosis. In the patients presented in this study, more than every third case required cardiothoracic surgery (16 out of 43 patients, 37.2%). Thus, cardiothoracic expertise should be present for all trauma room patients with suspected cardiac injury.

Previous studies have emphasized injury mechanism, wound site, and presenting vital signs as critical determinants for survival following penetrating cardiac injury. Our experience suggests pericardial tamponade is another crucial factor and is the basis for this study. Prognostic features were reviewed in 100 consecutive, unselected patients with acute cardiac injuries. Mechanism was stab wound in 57, and gunshot injury in 43. Location included right ventricle in 55, left ventricle in 49, right atrium in 16, and left atrium in seven. Overall salvage was 31%,; 27 (47%) of 57 stab wounds, four (9%) of 43 gunshot wounds, 22 (49%) of 45 right, and nine (23%) of 39 left heart wounds. The presence or absence of pericardial tamponade was documented in 77 patients. Patients with tamponade had a survival of 73% (24/33) compared to 11% (5/44) in those without its protective effect. The presence of tamponade improved survival (p less than 0.05) following stab injuries (77% vs. 29%), gunshot wounds (57% vs. none), right heart wounds (79% vs. 28%), left heart injuries (71% vs. 12%), and overall in patients arriving with vital signs (96% vs. 50%). Multivariant discriminant analysis by logistic regression demonstrated cardiac tamponade was a critical independent factor in patient survival, and suggested that it may be more influential than presenting vital signs in determining outcome.

In the United States, trauma is the leading cause of death among those who are 1-44 years old, with cardiovascular injuries representing the second most common cause of traumatic death after central nervous system injuries. Evaluation of trauma patients with suspected cardiac injury may be complex and include electrocardiography, measurement of cardiac biomarkers, and imaging examinations. Contrast material-enhanced computed tomography (CT) has become one of the most valuable imaging tools available for evaluating hemodynamically stable patients with suspected cardiac injury. The presence of hemopericardium, with or without cardiac tamponade, is one of the most significant findings of cardiac injury. Other complications that result from blunt cardiac injury, such as pericardial rupture and cardiac herniation, may be readily depicted at multidetector CT. Assessment of patients with cardiac injuries, particularly those with penetrating injuries, is a challenging and time-critical matter, with clinical and imaging findings having complementary roles in the formation of an accurate diagnosis. Patients who are hemodynamically stable, particularly those with penetrating cardiac injuries, also may benefit from a timely imaging examination. In addition to chest radiography, other available modalities such as transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, nuclear medicine, and magnetic resonance imaging may play a role in selected cases.

Chest trauma in childhood is relatively uncommon in clinical practice, and has been the subject of few reports in the literature. This study was undertaken to examine our experience in dealing with chest trauma in children. This was a retrospective study of 74 children who sustained chest trauma, and were referred to King Fahad Hospital in Medina over a two-year period. The age, cause of injury, severity of injury, associated extrathoracic injuries, treatment and outcome were analyzed. The median age of the patients was nine years. Fifty-nine of them (80%) sustained blunt trauma, and 15 (20%) were victims of penetrating injuries. Road traffic accident was the cause of chest trauma in 62% of the children, gun shot wounds were seen in five, and stab wounds in 10 children. Head injury was the most common injury associated with thoracic trauma, and was seen in 14 patients (19%), and associated intraabdominal injuries were seen in nine patients. Chest x-ray of the blunt trauma patients revealed fractured ribs in 24 children, pneumothorax in six, hemothorax in four, hemopneumothorax in three, and pulmonary contusions in 22 patients. Fifty-one percent of children were managed conservatively, 37% required tube thoracostomy, 8% were mechanically ventilated, and 4% underwent thoracotomy. The prevalence of chest trauma in children due to road traffic accidents is high in Saudi Arabia. Head injury is thought to be the most common associated extrathoracic injuries, however, most of these patients can be managed conservatively.

to determine the frequency of fatal cardiac trauma in the city of Manaus, Brazil, between November 2015 and October 2016, and to clarify the mechanisms of trauma and death, previous hospital treatment, as well as the injuries associated with cardiac trauma. retrospective, observational, and cross-sectional study, which reviewed the necropsy reports of individuals whose cause of death was cardiac injury. the cardiac trauma rate was of 5.98% (138 cases) out of 2,306 necropsies performed in the study period by Instituto Médico Legal (IML) de Manaus (IML is a Brazilian institute responsible for necropsies and cadaveric reports). Males accounted for 92% of the cases. The median age was 27 years (14-83). Gunshot wounds (GSW) was the trauma mechanism in 62.3% and stab wound (SW) in 29.7%. Exsanguination was responsible for most of the deaths and cardiac tamponade was present in second place. On-site death occurred in 86.2% of the cases. The ventricles were the most common site of cardiac injury. Hemothorax was identified in 90.6% of the individuals. Only 23 patients (16.7%) were taken to the hospital (Emergency Room), but six (26.2%) were submitted only to chest drainage, not to thoracotomy. The lung was unilaterally affected in 57% of the cases and bilaterally in 43%. fatal cardiac trauma represented an index of 5.98% in the city of Manaus. Most patients die at the scene of the trauma, usually due to exsanguination caused by gunshot wound. About a quarter of patients who reached the hospital and died were not diagnosed with cardiac trauma in time.