Rupture of the left atrial 'basal' appendage due to blunt trauma in an elderly patient.

Blunt traumatic cardiac rupture is associated with a high mortality rate. Motor vehicle accidents account for most cardiac ruptures, but crush injury is relatively rare. We describe a case of a 77-year-old man who had the left atrial 'basal' appendage ruptured through blunt trauma due to a fall. He was surgically treated and recovered without complication.