Thromboembolism as a complication of myocardial contusion: a new capricious syndrome.

Myocardial contusion is becoming more frequently recognized as a concomitant of blunt chest and abdominal trauma. Thromboembolism is an infrequent, but serious, complication of myocardial contusion and management is controversial. We report a case and review the literature of thromboembolism complicating blunt heart injury, and suggest a protocol to prevent this complication.