Les lésions cardiaques traumatiques

Cardiac lesions after blunt thoracic trauma are usually observed in two different clinical situations: during salvage thoracotomy or autopsy studies, then it is the rupture of the cardiac wall responsible for sudden death. Just after a trauma or later, because some of these injuries could be well tolerated temporarily or for a long time: myocardial contusion, valve lesion, ventricular septal rupture, pericardial rupture or coronary artery injury. These injuries are rare and could be associated together. They are usually due to traffic accidents and are consecutive to three mechanisms: direct trauma, indirect due to deceleration and hydraulic shock. They could be masked by other lesion especially during polytrauma, and it is mandatory to search then systematically during major trauma.