ABSTRACT

As previously stated, myocardial contusion is the commonest complication of blunt cardiac trauma resulting from blunt chest injuries. It is also appropriate to reiterate that it can be a significant diagnostic dilemma to the attending and consulting physicians,9 due in part to the lack of specific diagnostic criteria. The combination of the history, physical examination, and clinical observation assessed in conjunction with the laboratory evidence is absolutely necessary to assist in making the diagnosis. The diagnosis becomes less complicated in patients who do not have preexisting heart disease and the resulting associated pathophysiologic abnormalities. As previously discussed, the symptoms, signs, and diagnostic criteria have a wide range of variability from none to highly significant.