A pediatric survivor of left ventricular rupture after blunt chest trauma.

The case of a patient with left ventricular rupture as a result of blunt chest trauma from a motor vehicle accident is presented. This is the first reported case of a pediatric survivor of this rare and usually lethal injury and only the fourth report of a survivor. This condition can be treated if the patient survives long enough to reach a trauma center, if the diagnosis is entertained early, and if the appropriate diagnostic studies are obtained in an expeditious manner. We believe that echocardiography is the diagnostic method of choice for pericardial tamponade, whether it is the result of penetrating or blunt trauma, and that early use of this modality may improve survivability.