ABSTRACT

The heart rupture, as a result of thoracic blunt trauma is usually a necropsy finding, since very few patients arrive living to the hospital. Regarding the localization of the rupture, all series mention the right ventricle’s free wall as the most frequently injured chamber, as well as the most frequently associated with rib or sternal fractures. We present the case of a 29 year old man with history of motorcycle accident with blunt trauma of the chest and right atrium rupture diagnosed during anterolateral right emergency thoracotomy carried out because of massive hemothorax; the patient had a satisfactory evolution after the surgical event and was discharged from hospital and found with NYHA functional class I heart failure after a year of follow-up.

KEYWORDS

Cardiac trauma, broking heart.

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