Early progression of an isolated ventricular septal defect after blunt trauma

Traumatic tricuspid insufficiency with a ventricular septal defect in a child: a case report

Traumatic tricuspid insufficiency is very rare. In this report we describe an interesting case of a 13-year-old boy who suffered chest trauma from a horse kick. Echocardiography demonstrated a remarkable tricuspid regurgitation with ventricular septal defect. Once assessing the diagnosis, an emergency open heart surgery was necessary to repair the injuries with good results.

Traumatic Ventricular Septal Defect Resulting from a Motor Vehicle Collision

This case report describes a rare case of ventricular septal defect due to non-penetrating trauma in a 43 year old male involved in a motor vehicle collision. The diagnosis was made by echocardiogram and the patient was taken immediately to the operating room for emergent surgical repair of the ventricular septal defect and survived.

Ventricular septal defect following blunt chest trauma

We present a 32-year-old male with ventricular septal defect (VSD) following blunt chest trauma. Traumatic VSD is a rare but potentially life-threatening injury, the severity, course and presentation of which are variable. While the diagnosis of myocardial injury may be challenging, cardiac troponins are useful as a screening and diagnostic test. The proposed pathophysiological mechanisms in the development of traumatic VSD are early mechanical rupture and delayed inflammatory rupture. We conducted a literature review to investigate the pathogenesis, distribution of patterns of presentation, and the associated prognoses in patients with VSD following blunt chest trauma. We found that traumatic VSDs diagnosed within 48 hours were more likely to be severe, require emergency surgery and were associated with a higher mortality. Children with traumatic VSDs had an increased mortality risk. Smaller lesions may be managed conservatively but should be followed up to detect late complications. In both groups elective repair was associated with a good outcome.

A large ventricular septal defect complicating resuscitation after blunt trauma

A young adult pedestrian was admitted to hospital after being hit by a car. On arrival to the Accident and Emergency Department, the patient was tachycardic, hypotensive, hypoxic, and acidotic with a Glasgow Coma Scale of 3. Despite initial interventions, the patient remained persistently hypotensive. An echocardiogram demonstrated a traumatic ventricular septal defect (VSD) with right ventricular strain and increased pulmonary artery pressure. Following a period of stabilization, open cardiothoracic surgery was performed and revealed an aneurysmal septum with a single large defect. This was repaired with a bovine patch, resulting in normalization of right ventricular function. This case provides a vivid depiction of a large VSD in a patient following blunt chest trauma with hemodynamic compromise. In all thoracic trauma patients, and particularly those poorly responsive to resuscitation, VSDs should be considered. Relevant investigations and management strategies are discussed.