Traumatic pericardial rupture with cardiac herniation.
If undiagnosed, traumatic pericardial rupture with herniation of the heart may have fatal consequences. We report two cases of multiple trauma with pericardial rupture, which was missed in the preoperative diagnoses of both patients, in spite of suggestive signs on computed tomographic scans. One patient had unexplained, persistent hemodynamic instability; the second patient had cardiac arrest during laparotomy for minor hepatic laceration. In both, the left-sided rupture of the pericardium with cardiac herniation into the pleural space was found and corrected in an emergency intervention. Both patients recovered completely.
Lindenmann
Joerg
J
Division of Thoracic and Hyperbaric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. jo.lindenmann@medunigraz.at
Matzi
Veronika
V
Neuboeck
Nicole
N
Porubsky
Christian
C
Ratzenhofer
Beatrice
B
Maier
Alfred
A
Smolle-Juettner
Freyja-Maria
FM
D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006547:Hernia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D011859:Radiography; D012421:Rupture / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging