Stab wounds to the pericardium and heart: an analysis of 85 consecutive patients.
OBJECTIVE
To audit all stab wounds of the pericardium and heart treated by a policy of immediate exploration over a period of 17 years, and identify any factors predictive of outcome.


METHODS
Retrospective study.


METHODS
Urban referral centre.


METHODS
85 consecutive patients with stab wounds of pericardium and heart.


METHODS
Immediate exploration.


METHODS
Mortality and morbidity.


RESULTS
Eleven patients died (13%), 10 of them on the operating table. No powerful predictor of outcome was identified, but measurable blood pressure on admission (p = 0.04) and a low cardiac trauma index score (p = 0.07) seemed to be associated with survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Some unrecordable factors--for example, the skill of the team on duty--may have had a considerable influence on outcome.
I Department of Surgery, University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
L A
LA
Böstman
J A
JA
Salo
O M
OM
Böstman
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000293:injuries; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery