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Traumatic total occlusion of left main coronary artery caused by blunt chest trauma

Omer Goktekin1, Ahmet Unalir, Bulent Gorenek

  • 1Osmangazi Univeritesi Tip Fakültesi, Kardiyologi Anabilim Dali, Eskisehir, Turkey. goktekin@hotmail.com

The Journal of Invasive Cardiology
|July 31, 2002
PubMed

Insights

Blunt chest trauma can rarely cause myocardial infarction. This case details a fatal heart attack from a car accident, highlighting a unique complete blockage of the left main coronary artery.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Trauma Medicine
  • Forensic Pathology

Background:

  • Myocardial infarction (MI) is a serious cardiac event, typically associated with atherosclerosis.
  • Blunt chest trauma is an uncommon cause of MI, often involving coronary artery injury.

Observation:

  • A 36-year-old male sustained a nonpenetrating chest injury in a motor vehicle accident.
  • The patient subsequently experienced a fatal anterolateral myocardial infarction.

Findings:

  • Coronary artery injuries from blunt chest trauma most frequently involve the left anterior descending artery.
  • This report documents the first-ever case of complete traumatic occlusion of the left main coronary artery (LMCA) confirmed by coronary angiography.

Implications:

  • This case expands the understanding of potential cardiac complications following blunt chest trauma.
  • It underscores the importance of considering coronary artery injury, including LMCA occlusion, in patients with chest trauma and cardiac symptoms.
  • Forensic and clinical investigations should be aware of this rare but devastating injury pattern.

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