Value of a conventional approach to the diagnosis of traumatic cardiac contusion after chest injury.
We wanted to evaluate whether current screening techniques effectively determine a patient's need for hospital admission and intensive care monitoring after blunt chest trauma. Consequently, we reviewed 104 consecutive admissions for "blunt chest trauma; rule out cardiac contusion." Neither clinical findings, cardiac enzyme levels, chest x-rays, nor ECGs predicted the high-risk patients who would subsequently develop complications related to myocardial contusion. Since only 23% of the study patients developed such complications, the plurality of study patients did not require admission and monitoring. There is, therefore, a definite need to develop new, accurate screening tests for patients at risk for myocardial contusion complications.
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002140:California; D003288:Contusions / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000592:standards*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000175:diagnosis