Unpredictable cardiac arrest caused by blunt cardiac injuries with sternum fracture: a case report

Abstract

Blunt cardiac injury (BCI) is common in road traffic accidents due to high energy injuries to the thorax and its structures, such as the anterior and posterior of the chest wall. The severity of BCI is high enough to cause many on-site deaths. However, patients with BCI may also be asymptomatic and exhibit normal findings; thus, diagnosis can be significantly challenging for many clinicians. Moreover, since BCI can be diagnosed through multiple serial tests, it is very important to always consider the possibility of BCI in high-risk patients . Diagnosis of BCI begins with suspicion of BCI, followed by repeated electrocardiograms, echocardiography, and cardiac biomarkers measurements along with intensive observation.