Blunt Cardiac Injury in Trauma Patients with Thoracic Aortic Injury

Table 3

Details of cardiac test results including ECG, CK-MB assay, and echocardiography.

	Study group (𝑛=26)	Control group (𝑛=52)	𝑃 value
Number with ECG abnormalities	21 (80.8%)	38 (73.1%)	0.787
Type of ECG abnormalities*
Nonspecific ST-T changes	17	33
Heart block	8	10
Ischemic changes	2	1
Atrial arrhythmias	2	7
Number with abnormal CK-MB level	24 (24/25, 96%)**	27 (51.9%)	<0.001
Mean CK-MB level when elevated (ng/mL) (SD, range)	95.2 (309, 8.6–1544)	25.8 (23.5, 7.2–109.3)	0.109
Number with abnormal echocardiography***	3 (3/15, 20%)	2 (2/10, 20%)	1.000
Type of echocardiographic abnormalities
Valvular insufficiencies	3	1
Pericardial effusion	0	1
Wall motion abnormalities	0	1
Number with blunt cardiac injury	20 (20/26, 77%)	18 (18/52, 35%)	<0.001

*Numbers are not mutually exclusive. **CK-MB level was not tested in one subject, in whom an echocardiography was performed. ***Echocardiography was performed in 15 and 10 patients in the study and control groups, respectively.