Myocardial Contusion Culminating in a Ruptured Pseudoaneurysm of the Left Ventricle

Abstract

Blunt chest trauma continues to be one of the most common injuries at all ages. Trauma in general is the leading cause of death in the young to middle-aged segment of our population. Blunt chest injury is said to occur in more than one third of all motor vehicle accidents. Myocardial contusion is the most frequent cardiac injury resulting from blunt chest trauma. Autopsy studies indicate that cardiac trauma was directly associated with death in approxi mately 10% of cases suffering blunt chest injury. Aneurysm formation as a sequela of blunt cardiac trauma is a rare entity and pseudoaneurysm formation is considerably more rare. A case of myocardial contusion resulting in myocardial necrosis, rupture of the ventricle, and pseudoaneurysm formation with subsequent rupture and sudden death is presented.