Interventricular septum rupture due to falling from a height

Non-penetrating traumatic interventricular septal rupture of the heart is rare. This lesion can result from blunt injuries, either immediate or delayed, but has never been reported from blunt chest trauma secondary to falling from height. Surgical repair can usually be done as an elective procedure with good results. However, with some patients early repair is necessary as a lifesaving measure. We report on a 15-year-old patient admitted after falling from the fourth floor with multiple bone fractures and blood pressure of 80/0. He soon required mechanical ventilation, but a heart murmur was only detected after some hours. On the fifth day a non-penetrating traumatic interventricular septal rupture became apparent, which was proved by echocardiography and Swan-Ganz catheterization. The patient underwent successful repair of the interventricular septal defect on the 13th day following injury. Two weeks later surgery for his bone fractures was carried out, after which the patient could be discharged uneventfully.