A clinical case of tricuspid valve damage due to blunt chest trauma in a child

Traumatic valve lesions in children are extremely rare. As a rule, these are isolated cases associated with high-intensity blunt trauma. Clinical manifestations in the initial period depend on which valve is affected and the severity of its damage and in the vast majority of cases patients may remain asymptomatic for a long time. According to the literature, trauma of the tricuspid valve is the least common. The aim is to present a clinical case of detachment of the anterior leaflet and papillary muscles of the tricuspid valve in a 6-year-old boy due to a blow to the chest with a horse's hoof. The article presents a clinical case of damage of the tricuspid valve caused by blunt chest trauma after a horse kick in a 6-year-old boy. During the physical examination, the child showed signs of heart failure: dyspnea, tachycardia, a harsh 3/6 systolic murmur in the tricuspid valve auscultation area, hepatomegaly and severe chest pain. The electrocardiogram showed signs of right ventricular hypertrophy, right atrial enlargement and tachycardia, and a chest X-ray showed mild cardiomegaly. On echocardiographic examination, the diagnosis was confirmed: rupture of tricuspid valve anterior leaflet with papillary muscles and severe tricuspid insufficiency. After the diagnosis was confirmed, the child was transferred to a specialized cardiac surgery center, where tricuspid valve repair was performed urgently. Several clinical cases are presented in the literature in which children had no clinical manifestations immediately after chest trauma, but signs of heart failure developed in coulple months. Conclusions. Transthoracic echocardiography plays a key role in the diagnosis of valve damage and allows for timely surgical correction. It is important to perform echocardiographic examination of the heart in all children after blunt chest trauma, even in the absence of cardiovascular complaints or clinical signs of heart failure, as intracardiac changes can progress over time and clinical signs can develop in the following months. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The informed consent of the patients was obtained for the study. The authors declare no conflict of interest.