Podcast # 423: Blunt Cardiac Injuries

Author: Mike Hunt, MD Educational Pearls:   Blunt cardiac injuries most commonly occur in motor vehicle collisions, auto-pedestrian collisions, and from sports injuries The more anterior right ventricle is the most commonly injured structure Look for new EKG changes such as bundle branch blocks, ST changes, or other arrhythmias New EKG abnormalities should prompt consideration of further workup and admission for telemetry Patients may have an elevated troponin - but it is unclear when exactly this should be drawn after the injury   References: Bellister SA, Dennis BM, Guillamondegui OD. Blunt and Penetrating Cardiac Trauma. Surg Clin North Am. 2017 Oct;97(5):1065-1076. doi: 10.1016/j.suc.2017.06.012. Review. PubMed PMID: 28958358. Marcolini EG, Keegan J. Blunt Cardiac Injury. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2015 Aug;33(3):519-27. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2015.04.003. Epub 2015 Jun 10. Review. PubMed PMID: 26226863. Summarized by Travis Barlock, MS4 | Edited by Erik Verzemnieks, MD