Myocardial contusion is a bruise of the heart muscle.
Blunt myocardial injury
The most common causes are:
A severe myocardial contusion may lead to signs and symptoms of a heart attack.
Symptoms can include:
In most cases, you will be closely monitored for at least 24 hours. An ECG will be done continually to check your heart function.
Emergency room treatment may include:
Other therapies may be used to treat a heart injury, include:
People with a mild myocardial contusion will recover completely most of the time.
Serious heart injuries can increase your risk for heart failure or heart rhythm problems.
The following safety tips may help prevent a heart bruise:
Boccalandro F, Von Schoettler H. Traumatic heart disease. In: Levine GN, ed. Cardiology Secrets. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 71.
Ledgerwood AM, Lucas CE. Blunt cardiac injury. In: Cameron AM, Cameron JL, eds. Current Surgical Therapy. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:1241-1245.
Raja AS. Thoracic trauma. In: Walls RM, Hockberger RS, Gausche-Hill M, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 38.
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