The diagnosis and treatment of cardiac injury

Trauma is a major cause of a death in young population. Penetrating trauma to the heart which delivered to the emergency rooms has been increasing in the last years, because of the improved first aid and rapid transport techniques. In this study, the results of surgically trated penetrating cardiac trauma at our department were evaluated retrospectively. Between 2000-2008, 98 cases of penetrating cardiac trauma were operated at our instution. The age range and the mean age were 3-67 and 26.3±11.4 respectively. There were only 8 female patients among the 98 ones. 84 cases of penetrating cardiac injury had stab wounds, 11 patients had gunshot wounds and remaining 3 patients had iyatrojenic effect. 15 patients who were stable hemodynamically diagnosed with preoperative transthoracic echocardiography, while remaining ones underwent operation urgenty soon after physical operation. Left anterior toracotomy was performed in 90 cases, right anterior toracotomy was also performed in 4 cases and remaining part of the cases has been operated by impliying median sternotomy. There were 16 operative mortality among the 98 patients. Postoperative echocardiography revealed ventricular septal defect and aorticopulmoner fistul in two patients, which required a second operation.