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The Double Jeopardy of Blunt Chest Trauma: A Case Report and Review
Author(s) -
Varahan Subha L.,
Farah George M.,
Caldeira Christiano C.,
Hoit Brian D.,
Askari Arman T.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
echocardiography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1540-8175
pISSN - 0742-2822
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8175.2006.00151.x
Subject(s) - medicine , blunt , papillary muscle , regurgitation (circulation) , mitral regurgitation , surgery , cardiology , blunt trauma , concomitant , tricuspid valve , radiology
Cardiac injury, specifically valvular rupture, must be considered after blunt chest trauma even in previously healthy patients. Isolated mitral regurgitation (MR) and tricuspid regurgitation (TR) due to blunt chest trauma are rare phenomena. More unique is simultaneous complete papillary muscle rupture of the mitral valve (MV) and tricuspid valve (TV) with only four patients being previously reported in the literature. This case describes a patient with complete transection of the posteromedial papillary muscle of the MV with severe MR and a concomitant flail TV with severe TR following a motor vehicular accident. The importance of transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in the early evaluation of patients following blunt chest trauma is also highlighted by this case.