Restrepo-Córdoba María Alejandra, Hernández-Pérez Francisco José, Gómez-Bueno Manuel Francisco, Escudier-Villa Juan Manuel, Castedo Evaristo, Segovia Javier, Alonso-Pulpón Luis Antonio
Department of Cardiology, Puerta de Hierro University Hospital. Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Puerta de Hierro University Hospital. Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
Cardiovasc Diagn Ther. 2017 Feb;7(1):85-88. doi: 10.21037/cdt.2016.08.08.
A ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a rare complication of blunt chest trauma. This report presents the case of a 44-year-old man who developed a VSD as a result of high-energy closed chest trauma. We describe the initial surgical and medical management of the cardiac rupture. After failed repair surgery, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) was used as a bridge to heart transplantation. We discuss the successful use of ECMO to improve the prognosis results in this rare and complex entity.