Penetrating lesions in the pericardium and heart.

Abstract

The frequency of surgical treated cardiac lesions has considerable increased due to urban violence raise and the perfectioning of medical emergency services which have allowed that patients with cardiovascular lesions arrive alive to the hospitals. With the objective to know the trauma characteristics and treatment results, a retrospective investigation was carried out since 1999 to 2003 in these patients. A total of five patients were surgically intervened, four male and one female with an average age of 25 years old, 4 patients showed cardiac injuries and one of them although he had a penetrating injury, in the pre-cardial site , he had no cardiac injury, two with associated lesions, one in the right side internal breast artery and another one with a 1 cm hepatic wound. In all lesions the white arm was the vulnerary agent (100%). The main presentation form was hypovolemic shock (75%). The surgical approach most frequently used was the left anterolateral thoracotomy and in one case the right posterolateral one. We present a complication in a patient with acute inflammatory pneumopathy (AIN). No one died. The need of an immediate surgical treatment is demonstrated, since this is the only way that a greater survival rate will be obtained.