Chest Trauma in a Car Accident
The heart is one of the vital organs of our body. Protected by the rib cage, it plays a crucial role as it pumps blood carrying oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body. Despite the strength of the rib cage, the heart is still prone to damage with chest trauma. According to a study published in International Orthopedics:
- Blunt injuries to the chest can pose life-threatening injuries to the airway, breathing, and circulatory system.
- The mortality rate in patients in the United States who sustained chest trauma could be as high as 60%.
- About a quarter of patients who die due to polytrauma have some form of injury to their chest.
People who have injuries to their chest have a high rate of morbidity and mortality. The study went on to analyze just how people sustain chest trauma. According to their research, which includes over 25,467 individuals who suffered various forms of serious injuries:
- Over 50 percent of individuals with chest trauma sustained their injuries in a motor vehicle or road traffic accident.
- About 20 percent of these individuals were pedestrians who were struck by a vehicle.
- About 15 percent of patients in the study were driving a car.
- Around 10 percent of those injured were riding a motorcycle.
One of the reasons why chest trauma has such a high death rate is that individuals can sustain life-threatening damage to their hearts.
Case Reports: Mitral and Aortic Valve Damage in Car Accidents
A team of medical professionals recently published a series of two case reports of individuals who sustained damage to their hearts in an auto accident.
In the first case, an elderly man was driving a truck when he was involved in an accident. During the crash, his chest struck the steering wheel with significant force. He also sustained fractures of his tibia. Initially, he felt comfortable. However, two days later, he had difficulty breathing. An x-ray of his chest and echocardiogram were completed, showing that his aortic valve was not functioning correctly. A cardiothoracic surgeon was called who opened the chest and identified damage to his coronary arteries and damage to one of the leaflets of his aortic valve. These were repaired and, eventually, he made a full recovery.
In the second case, an elderly gentleman was a passenger in a motor vehicle that was involved in a car accident. When EMS arrived on the scene, they did not hear breath sounds over his left lung. He was found to have a collapsed lung along with a compression fracture of his spine. A chest tube was inserted to reinflate his lung. However, significant bleeding resulted from the insertion of the chest tube. It was later discovered that this bleed was caused by a small tear in one of his ventricles along with a torn mitral valve. This gentleman spent about two months in the hospital.
These case reports serve as a powerful illustration of the severe cardiac trauma that can result from a car accident.
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Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. If you or a loved one has sustained heart damage in a car accident, call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. I can provide free, friendly advice.
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