Heart luxation through a right-sided traumatic pericardial defect

Abstract

A traumatic defect of the pericardium is a rarely diagnosed entity. We present a patient with a right-sided luxation of the heart which was incidentally diagnosed during a thoracic CT performed for other reasons. Despite of the threatening strangulation of the great vessels, the patient had a stable circulation until surgical repair of the pericardial defect.

Luxation of the heart in blunt thorax trauma

“…6 Despite a high mortality rate, luxation of the heart may be clinically silent as in our patient. 3 We found a congenital defect of the pericardium that facilitated the heart luxation.…”

Left Cardiac Luxation Caused by a Blunt Chest Trauma: A Difficult Diagnosis Confirmed on Chest Computed Tomography Scan—Two Case Reports

“…2,4 Right-sided herniations more commonly complicated lung resection surgery. 7,8 The diagnosis of pericardial rupture remains difficult. Right cardiac luxation is usually rapidly fatal because of a complete rotation of the heart, which leads to a torsion of the inferior vena cava and all great vessels at the base of the heart.…”