Isolated right atrial appendage rupture following blunt chest trauma. 2018

Rakesh Hegde, and Nathan Lafayette, and Michael Sywak, and Gregory Ricketts, and Jorge Otero, and Scott Kurtzman, and Zhongqiu Zhang
Waterbury Hospital, CT, United States.

BACKGROUND Right sided tears or rupture are the most common injury to the heart after blunt chest trauma. The majority of these injuries are to the thin walled atrium. Reports of localized right atrial appendage rupture are rare. The classical features of Beck's triad are unreliable in the trauma bay. With the advent of EFAST (Focused assessment with sonography for trauma extended to thorax), Beck's triad should be considered but not used as the primary clinical tool for diagnosis of cardiac tamponade [1]. EFAST aids in rapid diagnosis and definitive care [3]. METHODS Our patient was a 17 year old male who presented with hypotension after a rollover motor vehicle accident. He presented with a grossly negative physical exam and positive EFAST for pericardial effusion with tamponade physiology. We performed an emergency pericardiocentesis and expedited transportation for operative exploration. A Right atrial appendage injury was identified and repaired and patient recovered uneventfully. CONCLUSIONS EFAST examination aids in rapid diagnosis of cardiac tamponade in the trauma setting. Pericardiocentesis facilitates temporizing the hemodynamics in preparation for operative exploration.

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