Research Article
Blunt Cardiac Injury in Trauma Patients with Thoracic Aortic Injury
Table 1
Grading of cardiac injury by the American Association for Surgery of Trauma. Adapted from [
21].
| Grade | ECG | Pathology |
| I | Nonspecific ST or T wave change, premature atrial or ventricular contraction, persistent sinus tachycardia | Blunt or penetrating pericardial wound without cardiac injury, tamponade, or herniation |
| II | Heart block, ischemic changes without cardiac failure | Penetrating tangential cardiac wound up to but not extending through endocardium without tamponade |
| III | Sustained or multifocal ventricular contractions | |
| IV | | Blunt or penetrating cardiac injury with septal rupture, pulmonary or tricuspid incompetence, papillary muscle dysfunction, or distal coronary artery occlusion producing cardiac failure | | Blunt or penetrating cardiac injury with aortic or mitral incompetence | | Blunt or penetrating cardiac injury of the right ventricle, right or left atrium |
| V | | Blunt or penetrating cardiac injury with proximal coronary artery occlusion | | Blunt or penetrating left ventricular perforation | | Stellate injuries <50% tissue loss of the right ventricle, right or left atrium |
| VI | | Blunt avulsion of the heart |
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