A review on cardiac penetrating trauma emphasizing on five cases with cardiac chambers injury referred to Khorramabad Shohada Ashayer hospital during one year (2001-2003)

Trauma is the 3rd major cause of death in urban areas, and cardiac penetrating injury is one of the most important causes of it. Vital signs, mechanism of injury and cardiac tamponad are the important prognostic factors in this patients. At about 70% of alive injured patients have not any clinical symptoms related to cardiac injury, for this reason early diagnosis according to clinical setting with proper use of diagnostic procedure influence on the patients, survival. Early thoracotomy and cardiography is the management of choice in this patients. Cases Report: This study considered five patients who were referred to Shohada hospital in Khorramabad during 8 months. All of them were evaluated in 3 stages (pre operative, intra operative and post operative) One patient (an 8- year old girl) injured with small shot accidentally and the other 4 patients were injured due to stab wound. Sites of injury include left parasternal border (3 patients) right parasternal border (1 patient) and subxyphoid area (1 patient). Sites of laceration include left ventricle (2 patients) right ventricle (2 patients) and right atrium (1 patient). Two patients showed post operative complications including Rt.B.B.B and weakness in right brachial plexus due to thoracotomy position.