Heart trauma
A heart injury can be life-threatening if it is not treated immediately. There are two types of heart injury, which are dangerous in different ways.
In the case of blunt heart injuries, the skin remains intact. Common causes are traffic accidents or a fall from a great height.
Penetrating heart injuries, on the other hand, are usually caused by a stab or gunshot and are therefore often associated with severe bleeding. Both types of heart injury differ in terms of symptoms, other concomitant injuries, diagnosis and treatment.
In the case of a severe blunt heart injury, the following symptoms are possible: cardiac arrhythmia, shortness of breath, low blood pressure. Occasionally, fluid or blood may accumulate in the pericardium (pericardial effusion or if the heart is compressed by the amount of fluid: pericardial tamponade). A penetrating heart injury is usually associated with high blood loss. A so-called circulatory shock develops very quickly because there is no longer enough blood circulating through the body.
If a blunt heart injury is suspected, echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart) is most important in addition to the physical examination. This can be used, for example, to detect a pericardial effusion or injuries to the heart valves. If additional information is required (e.g. visualization of the aorta), a computer tomography is the best and quickest examination.
The treatment of a heart injury depends largely on how severe it is. In the case of penetrating injuries, the patient must always receive emergency treatment. In the case of blunt injury with a large pericardial effusion, the effusion must occasionally be punctured or drained with a small incision in the upper abdomen or on the side of the chest. Many patients with minor heart injuries only need to be observed and/or treated with medication.