Korean J Pediatr.  2011 Feb;54(2):86-89. 10.3345/kjp.2011.54.2.86.

Traumatic ventricular septal defect in a 4-year-old boy after blunt chest injury

• Kim YM
• Yoo BW
• Choi JY
• Sul JH
• Park YH

• KMID: 2073626
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3345/kjp.2011.54.2.86

Abstract

Traumatic ventricular septal defect (VSD) resulting from blunt chest injury is a very rare event. The mechanisms of traumatic VSD have been of little concern to dateuntil now, but two dominant theories have been described. In one, the rupture occurs due to acute compression of the heart; in the other, it is due to myocardial infarction of the septum. The clinical symptoms and timing of presentation are variable, so appropriate diagnosis can be difficult or delayed. Closure of traumatic VSD has been based on a combination of heart failure symptoms, hemodynamics, and defect size. Here, we present a case of a 4-year-old boy who presented with a traumatic VSD following a car accident. He showed normal cardiac structure at the time of injury, but after 8 days, his repeated echocardiography revealed a VSD. He was successfully treated by surgical closure of the VSD, and has been doing well up to the present. This report suggests that the clinician should pay great close attention to the patients injured by blunt chest trauma, keeping in mind the possibility of cardiac injury.

Keyword

Traumatic ventricular septal defect; Blunt injury; Thoracic injuries; Child

MeSH Terms

Child
Echocardiography
Heart Failure
Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular
Hemodynamics
Humans
Myocardial Infarction
Preschool Child
Rupture
Thoracic Injuries
Thorax
Wounds, Nonpenetrating