Right atrial appendage rupture and cardiac tamponade secondary to blunt trauma

Penetrating Chest trauma with right atrium rupture - A case report

“…The right atrium is the most common site of injury due to its thin wall and low pressure. The patient usually has cardiac tamponade on presentation and needs an urgent pericardial window [7] , [8] . However, our patient developed hypotension and tachycardia at the time of induction which made us rush for definitive surgical repair.…”

Isolated Right Atrial Appendage Rupture from Blunt Chest Trauma: A Case Report

“…It is thought that the right atrium is a thin-wall structure that is susceptible to injury from blunt chest trauma, particularly in cases of high-impact trauma [4,5,13]. Theoretically, when faced with a case of blunt chest trauma associated with cardiac tamponade, and unstable hemodynamic status, one must immediately think of an intrathoracic surgical lesion (such as heart, great vessels) [1,6,7]. Cardiac rupture presents sometimes with massive hemothorax (in case of traumatic pericardiac laceration, postoperative pericardiotomy or traumatic associated rib fractures), and in this situation, it is difficult for the chest surgeon to estimate the origin of bleeding that suspects cardiac rupture, and as a result delayed diagnosis leads to poor prognosis [8,[14][15][16].…”

“…Isolated right atrial rupture is a rare but potentially lifethreatening condition that occurs secondary to blunt chest trauma [1]. The majority of blunt cardiac injuries associated with laceration are caused by penetrating trauma while cardiac wall laceration from blunt trauma is a highly uncommon presentation.…”

“…Diagnosis can be challenging, as symptoms may be non-specific and can mimic other conditions which can delay time for life-saving operations. Successful management of this condition requires a high degree of clinical suspicion with early diagnosis facilitated by ultrasonography linked to timely operative intervention [1,9].…”