title: Lack of significant long-term sequelae following traumatic myocardial contusion.
abstract: We assessed the possibility of long-term functional cardiac sequelae in patients who had sustained a traumatic myocardial contusion (group 1) by comparing this group with a cohort group of patients with similar traumatic injuries but exclusive of the cardiac component (group 2). More than one year following injury, patients in group 1 were qualitatively indistinguishable from patients in group 2 according to the New York Heart Association classification. Both the left and the right ventricular ejection fractions, less in group 1 than in group 2 immediately following trauma, were similar between groups during follow-up study at rest. During exercise to maximal work load at follow-up, changes in the mean right and left ventricular ejection fractions were also similar between the two patient groups. We therefore concluded that traumatic myocardial contusion to the left and/or right ventricle almost always resolves without significant functional sequelae within one year of injury.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003288:Contusions / Q000150:complications; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006321:Heart / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013147:Spirometry; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013997:Time Factors