The ventricles are the bottom two chambers of the heart. These are vital pumps that supply blood to both the lungs and the rest of the body. When the ventricles are damaged in a car accident, the results could be fatal.
The heart pumps blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the rest of the body. Without a heart, the body cannot function properly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Someone has a heart attack about every minute.
- Heart disease costs the health care system more than $100 million per year.
- The average hospital stay for heart disease is about five days.
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Traumatic injuries are the second-leading cause of death.
Putting this together, heart and blood vessel injuries and auto accidents are two of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States.
A Case Report: Ventricle Damage in an Auto Accident
A recent case report was published describing a patient who sustained direct trauma to his heart in an auto accident. He was driving along a local interstate when a car crossed onto the wrong side of the road. He wound up in a head-on collision, totaling his car and destroying the front section in the process. He sustained penetrating trauma to the chest. Even though the windshield did not shatter, one of the windows did. This sent objects and glass flying throughout the vehicle, penetrating near his sternum. When emergency medical services arrived on the scene, he was still conscious. He was placed in an ambulance and transported to a local hospital. Along the way, he was given blood because of the severity of his injuries. Once at the hospital, he received numerous scans. He sustained several broken ribs, a lung contusion, and a severe cardiac injury. His right ventricle was found to have been damaged by a penetrating wound. Because the object was still in place, he was not bleeding as quickly as he would have been otherwise. He was taken to an operating room for emergent surgery where the hole was repaired. He was observed for more than a week after the operation in the hospital. This was to ensure that the tear did not return. He was discharged home and made a full recovery.
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Car Accident Lawyers in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Car Accident Lawyer in Sacramento. Traumatic car accidents could pose significant risks of death. If you or a loved one has sustained injuries in a car crash, please call me today at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly legal advice. You can also reach us online at autoaccident.com.
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Auto Accident Causes Ventricle Damage: Autoaccident.com
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