Blunt traumatic rupture of the heart: an experience in Tokyo

The present study was planned to clarify the characteristics of blunt traumatic cardiac rupture. We performed a retrospective analysis of 63 patients with blunt traumatic cardiac rupture during the period from April 1975 through February 1993. Six of nine patients arrived with recordable blood pressure, and injuries were detected by ultrasonography. Three patients underwent pericardiocentesis before surgery. Seven patients survived overall. The hemodynamics in all seven survivors were stabilized within 3 days after cardiac repair. The survival rate among the patients who arrived with blood pressure was 54%. A patient who fell from higher than 6 meters or a pedestrian hit by car and thrown as short a distance as 6.5 meters may have cardiac rupture. Ultrasonography is a useful, quick, and sensitive way to detect the presence of pericardial fluid. We prefer to do pericardiocentesis with a large-bore catheter under ultrasonographic guidance for continuous pericardial drainage rather than to create a subxyphoid pericardial window for cardiac tamponade.