Recent and speculative remote myocardial trauma: a case series

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Trauma Medicine
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Cardiac blunt trauma presents a wide range of injuries.
• Diagnosing delayed complications of myocardial trauma is challenging, particularly with unremembered chest trauma history.
• Remote myocardial trauma can lead to significant adverse cardiac remodeling.

Observation:

• This study details a patient with recent traumatic myocardial dissection and interventricular septal rupture.
• Three additional patients presented with a double-chambered left ventricle, mimicking prior remote myocardial trauma.
• The observed cardiac remodeling can obscure initial injury characteristics on imaging.

Findings:

• Remote myocardial trauma, even when forgotten, can cause significant cardiac remodeling.
• Mimic double-chambered left ventricle is a potential indicator of prior myocardial trauma.
• Adverse cardiac remodeling, heart failure, and arrhythmias are potential consequences of unaddressed remote trauma.

Implications:

• Remote myocardial trauma may be underdiagnosed in clinical practice.
• Increased clinical suspicion for remote myocardial trauma is warranted in specific cardiac presentations.
• Improved diagnostic strategies are needed for identifying long-term consequences of myocardial trauma.