Cardiac damage presenting late after road accidents.
Six examples of cardiac damage secondary to non-penetrating trauma in road accidents are described. In all six cases the lesion was not recognised at the time of the accident but became clinically important two days to 17 years later. As the patients were young or had unusual lesions, the damage could be attributed to the accident. In older patients with common cardiac problems the trauma might not be recognised as the underlying cause.
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000209:etiology*