Early evaluation of cardiac injury by two-dimensional echocardiography in patients suffering blunt chest trauma.

The availability of two-dimensional echocardiography as a clinical tool has led to an interest in its applicability, usefulness, and reliability in the evaluation of blunt cardiac trauma. Forty patients who sustained objective evidence of blunt chest trauma were evaluated at our institution using serial ECGs, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) isoenzyme determinations, and two-dimensional echocardiography. Twenty patients (50%) manifested evidence of cardiac injury as demonstrated by abnormal ECGs, elevated CPK isoenzymes, or abnormal echocardiograms. Nine (23%) patients had abnormal echocardiograms with findings of pericardial effusions in four, chamber enlargement in three, and echodense areas of the right ventricle in two. There was no correlation with ECG changes or the presence of CPK isoenzymes. Based on these observations we believe echocardiography can be used as a noninvasive modality to complement other clinical tools in the detection of blunt cardiac injury.