‘Focal’ Cardiac Concussion – An Under-Recognized Problem?
Focal Cardiac Concussion
Vol. 10 No. 1 : 2015 (80-85)
Abstract
Cardiac concussion is a sudden, direct blunt trauma cause to the chest which led to death. However, there are patients who did not completely fulfil this definition. We report two cases which did not fit into the definition domain. Two male patients presented to Emergency Department with moderate anterior chest pain after motor vehicle crash showed transient anterior ST segment elevation at chest lead V2 and V3 with raised creatine kinase and normal troponin T. The electrocardiogram changes fully resolved after 24 hours. Both patients were discharged uneventfully after 24 hours monitoring in Emergency Department short-stay ward. Conventional definition of cardiac concussion (commotion cordis) and cardiac contusion may be unsuitable to describe these cases. Therefore, we propose the diagnosis of focal cardiac concussion. We also highlighted the ability of Emergency Department to manage these patients in short-stay ward.
Keywords :
Chest Pain,
Commotio Cordis,
Electrocardiography,
Nonpenetrating,
Correspondance Address
Tan Toh Leong, Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel:+603-91458224 Fax: +603-91456577 Email: sebastianttl@yahoo.co.uk
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