Sugimoto Satoru, Yamauchi Akihiko, Kudoh Kinya, Hayakawa Mineji, Igarashi Yasumi, Tanaka Toshiaki
Department of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, Sapporo Municipal Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.
Ann Thorac Surg. 2003 Mar;75(3):1001-3. doi: 10.1016/s0003-4975(02)04562-9.
Cardiac tamponade due to coronary artery rupture, as a consequence of blunt trauma, is a rare but usually fatal condition. We successfully obtained primary hemostasis with emergency room thoracotomy, followed by delayed definitive treatment of the ruptured right coronary artery ostium in a motor vehicle accident victim with multifocal hemorrhagic lesions. Survival of patients with the described serious trauma has not been reported, and we discuss herein our treatment strategy.