title: Delayed rupture of a left ventricular aneurysm after blunt trauma.
abstract: We report a case where a 17-year-old male involved in a motor vehicle crash was admitted after seemingly minor blunt chest trauma. The patient was discharged the following day without complications. He was subsequently found dead 45 days later from a ruptured traumatic left ventricular aneurysm. We review briefly the epidemiology of patients with this complication and also suggest that the optimal method and timing of following and identifying discharged patients at risk for this rare but devastating complication is still unclear based on current literature.
authors.affiliation: Allegheny General Hospital Shock Trauma Center, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212, USA.
authors.forename: Aurelio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ong
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D017542:Aneurysm, Ruptured / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006322:Heart Aneurysm / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D018658:Ventricular Septal Rupture / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy