title: Stroke complicating traumatic ventricular septal defect.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traumatic ventricular septal defect (VSD) occurs in approximately 5% of blunt or penetrating cardiac injuries and can result in rare complications.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report the serious complication of stroke after a traumatic VSD.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 27-year-old man with no previous medical history presented to the Emergency Department with aphasia and right hemiparesis after a stab wound to the chest. He underwent emergent evacuation of a pericardial effusion and repair of a right ventricular wall perforation. Head computed tomography revealed left middle cerebral artery infarct. Post-operatively, he was noted to have a cardiac murmur, and echocardiogram revealed a VSD. The VSD was surgically repaired without complication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stroke can complicate traumatic VSDs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Universidade Federal do Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Bruin
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pereira da Silva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014951:Wounds, Stab / Q000150:complications*