Cardiac tamponade due to a displaced rib fracture: a case report
Pericardial effusion causing cardiac tamponade is uncommon following blunt traumatic injury. We report the case of a 78-year-old woman who, following a road traffic collision, developed cardiac tamponade secondary to a displaced rib fracture. This case also demonstrates the value of repeated extended focused assessment with sonography in trauma (eFAST). Close monitoring of patients who are initially hemodynamically stable, in the context of their mechanism of injury, is essential in trauma care to reduce the morbidity and mortality that can occur without prompt management.
Authors
- Antanas Mačys
- Alwin Puthiyakunnel Saji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7359-6640)
- André Dubois (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8891-2906)
- Maryam Alfa‐Wali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5880-4816)
- Archna Ashok Tolani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9020-0062)
- Andres Diaz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3878-5331)
- George Bailey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4294-6940)
Institutions
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (GB)
- Hammersmith Hospital (GB)
- St Mary's Hospital (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Trauma and Injury
- Published
- 2026-10-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.20408/jti.2025.0243
- Primary Topic
- Trauma Management and Diagnosis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00