Frequency of myocardial injury after blunt chest trauma as evaluated by radionuclide angiography

Journal Article · Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1983 · Am. J. Cardiol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9149(83)90540-4· OSTI ID:5028898

Sutherland, G R; Driedger, A A; Holliday, R L; Cheung, H W; Sibbald, W J

Seventy-seven patients who had sustained multisystem trauma, including severe blunt chest injury, were prospectively evaluated to assess the frequency of associated traumatic myocardial injury. Traumatic injury to either the right or left ventricle was defined by the presence of discrete abnormalities of wall motion on electrocardiographically gated cardiac scintigraphy in patients without a clinical history of heart disease. Forty-two patients (55%) (Group 1) had focal abnormalities of wall motion; 27 involved the right ventricle, 7 the left ventricle, 7 were biventricular, and 1 involved only the septum. Both the right and left ventricular ejection fractions were significantly lower (31 +/- 11% and 47 +/- 14%, respectively) than those in the 35 traumatized patients without wall motion abnormalities on scintigraphy (Group 2) (49 +/- 8% and 58 +/- 11%, respectively). Repeat scintigraphic examination in 32 Group 1 patients at a time remote from initial injury showed improvement or resolution of previously defined focal wall motion abnormalities in 27 of 32 patients (84%). The electrocardiogram and serum enzyme tests were insensitive indexes of traumatic myocardial injury when defined by the scintigraphic abnormalities. Thus, severe blunt chest trauma results in a higher frequency of traumatic myocardial injury than heretofore recognized, and frequently involves the anteriorly situated right ventricle.

• Research Organization: Critical Care/Trauma Unit, Victoria Hospital, Ontario, Canada
• OSTI ID: 5028898
• Journal Information: Am. J. Cardiol.; (United States), Vol. 52:8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
INJURIES
DIAGNOSIS
MYOCARDIUM
SCINTISCANNING
ACCIDENTS
CHEST
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
MEASURING METHODS
PATIENTS
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
BODY
BODY AREAS
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
COUNTING TECHNIQUES
DIAGNOSTIC TECHNIQUES
HEART
ISOTOPES
MUSCLES
ORGANS
RADIOISOTOPE SCANNING
550601* - Medicine- Unsealed Radionuclides in Diagnostics