Related Experiment Videos
Penetrating trauma to the heart: a relatively innocent injury
G C Velmahos1, E Degiannis, I Souter
1Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Insights
Penetrating cardiac trauma from stabbings has a lower mortality rate (13%) than gunshot wounds (50.7%). Isolated stab wounds to a single heart chamber show a significantly lower mortality rate of 8.5%.
Area of Science:
- Trauma Surgery
- Cardiovascular Surgery
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Penetrating cardiac trauma presents a significant challenge in urban healthcare settings.
- Understanding mortality rates is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mortality rate associated with penetrating cardiac trauma.
- To differentiate outcomes based on injury type (stab vs. gunshot).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of patients admitted alive with cardiac stab or gunshot injuries.
- Study period spanned 5 years and 5 months.
- Data collected from a large urban hospital.
Main Results:
- 310 patients sustained stab wounds, and 63 sustained gunshot wounds.
- Overall mortality rate was 19%.
- Mortality rates were 13% for stab wounds and 50.7% for gunshot wounds.
- Isolated stab wounds to a single cardiac chamber had an 8.5% mortality rate.
Conclusions:
- Penetrating cardiac trauma outcomes vary significantly by injury mechanism.
- Isolated cardiac stab wounds are associated with relatively low mortality.
- Expeditious management in experienced trauma centers is key for survival.
Background:
The purpose of this study was to examine the mortality rate of penetrating cardiac trauma in a large urban hospital.
Methods:
This was a retrospective study over a period of 5 years and 5 months of all patients admitted alive with a stab or a gunshot cardiac injury.
Results:
There were 310 patients with a stab wound and 63 with a gunshot wound. The overall mortality rate was 19%. The mortality rates for the stab and the gunshot groups were 13% and 50.7%, respectively. In the 296 patients with a cardiac stab wound confined to a single chamber and with no other associated extracardiac injury the mortality rate was 8.5%.
Conclusions:
An isolated cardiac stab wound is a relatively innocent injury in a patient at a hospital accustomed to managing penetrating trauma expeditiously.