Publication:

Cardiac injury and mortality after blunt chest trauma: a prospective observational cohort study

Background Cardiac trauma is a serious injury that can occur after blunt chest trauma, posing a high risk of rapid deterioration and mortality. This study aims to evaluate cardiac injuries and mortality after blunt chest trauma.

Methods This observational cohort study included 303 patients with blunt chest trauma, comprising 248 males (81.85%) and 55 females (18.15%), resulting in a male-to-female ratio of 4:1. The mean age was 39.26±19.89 years, with a range of 2 to 81 years. All patients underwent a clinical assessment, an injury severity evaluation using the injury severity score (ISS) and received various diagnostic tests.

Results The overall mortality rate was 14.2% (43 out of 303 patients). Logistic regression analysis identified independent mortality predictors, including the mode of trauma, need for mechanical ventilation, ISS, and blunt cardiac injury (BCI). Our patients were divided into two groups; group I had 91 patients (30.03%) with BCI, showing a mortality rate of 27.5% (25 patients), significantly higher than the 8.5% (18 patients) in group II, without BCI.

Conclusions BCI is an important independent predictor of mortality in cases of blunt chest trauma. Therefore, physicians need to prioritize early diagnosis and management of this condition.