Management of acute cardiac trauma.

It is estimated that approximately 165,000 people die of traumatic causes every year. Thoracic trauma accounts for 25 per cent of all these traumatic deaths, and primary cardiac injury is a major contributing cause. Thus, every member of a trauma team must have a thorough knowledge of the diagnosis and management of cardiac injuries--penetrating and blunt--to effect an improvement in the overall survival of this group of trauma patients.