Clements R H, Wagmeister L S, Carraway R P
Department of Surgery, Carraway Methodist Medical Center, Birmingham, AL 35234, USA.
Ann Thorac Surg. 1997 Jul;64(1):258-60. doi: 10.1016/s0003-4975(97)00478-5.
Blunt chest trauma can produce a number of potentially lethal injuries, including pulmonary artery rupture. Survivors of pulmonary artery injuries are rare. Most previously reported surviving patients presented with hemothorax from a hilar injury. We report a patient who survived a blunt rupture of the intrapericardial portion of the pulmonary artery and thus presented with pericardial tamponade. The interventions that led to her survival are discussed.
