[Contusion of the heart].

Whereas heart contusion can be identified by autopsy as a traumatic damage to the heart, clinical diagnosis during life is mostly made by exclusion only and subsequently, the more so since there is no absolutely reliable parameter that permits diagnosis ad hoc. Complications often develop only hours or days after the accident. Heart contusion can be masked by haemorrhagic-traumatic shock and accompanying injuries and delay its diagnosis. Traumatic damage to the myocardium can equal a myocardial infarction. Hence, it is imperative that persons injured in an accident who are suspected of having suffered a contusion of the heart, are placed in an intensive-care ward to recognise complications well in time and to institute therapeutic measures without delay. As is the case with acute myocardial infarction, anaesthesia and surgery can be performed only in case of a vital indication.