Following a recent downpour, a vehicle lost control, rode over the center meridian and collided head on with a tree on the opposite side of the road. The vehicle sustained major structural damage, and the two occupants where rapidly assisted by a passing Paramedic and rushed to the Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital ER for further assessment and management. |
On arrival at the ER it was found that the one patient presented with minor cuts and bruises (and was sent to the ward), whilst the other required admission to the ICU following sustaining a dislocation to the left hip, and a possible myocardial contusion and associated dysrhythmia as a result of sustaining blunt chest trauma during the incident.
A myocardial contusion refers to a bruise of the heart muscle, which can occur with serious bodily injury. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this is most commonly caused by:
Sings and symptoms of a myocardial contusion include:
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Dysrhythmias have long been associated with chest trauma, with common arrythimas including ventricular extra systoles. Whilst these arrythmias may often be of no clinical significance, there is a specific circumstance in which they may lead to life threatening and sometimes fatal arrhythmias. The event is known as "R on T" phenomenon and may be explained as follows:
The video to the right shows a series of ventricular ectopics, none of which precipitate a ventricular tachyarrhythmias or ventricular fibrillation (refer to Early CPR saves lives 10/29/2014) . The ventricular ectopics can be noted as the non regular, aberrant shapes occurring during the cycle of the ordinary organised complexes of the ECG. |
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Driving in the rain requires paying special care and attention not just to the road and the immediate environment, but also to the state of your vehicle. Follow these five steps for staying in control:
An Injury and Prevention Awareness Project brought to you by Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital Trauma & Emergency Centre.