Outcomes of Post-Traumatic Cardiac Injury: A 17-Year Retrospective Study at Tertiary Centers

Objective

To evaluate demographics, injury patterns, diagnostics, surgical strategies, and outcomes in cardiac trauma managed at tertiary hospitals, and to contextualize findings against contemporary literature. Materials and Methods: This retrospective observational study included 108 patients with consecutive cardiac injury cases from January 2006 to December 2022. Inclusion required confirmed cardiac involvement by echocardiography, computed tomography, intraoperative findings, or autopsy, with complete clinical records. Data included mechanism and location of injury, diagnostics (ECG, FAST, echocardiography, CT, angiography), interventions, complications, and mortality.