This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Ranasinghe, A. Articles by Graham, T. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Myocardial contusion

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK

ME Lewis

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK

TR Graham

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK, Tim.graham{at}uhb.nhs.uk

Myocardial contusion can be a difficult diagnosis to make. There is currently no gold standard of investigation that allows its accurate diagnosis in the clinical setting. Trauma surgeons need to have a high degree of clinical suspicion when dealing with patients who have received blunt thoracic injuries in order that the diagnosis of myocardial contusion may be made. In this article we discuss the diagnosis, potential complications and investigation of patients with suspected myocardial contusion and also present a fl ow diagram for the possible management of patients with trauma who may have suspected myocardial contusion.

Key Words: management of thoracic trauma • myocardial contusion

Trauma, Vol. 6, No. 2, 169-175 (2004)
DOI: 10.1191/1460408604ta310oa


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?