AN UNUSUAL CAUSE OF PENETRATING CARDIAC INJURY IN A CHILD

The authors report on a 7-year-old boy who suffered an unintentional p enetrating cardiac injury while misusing a lawn toy in a predictable w ay. The boy was hemodynamically stable, with abdominal pain and tender ness. The pericardial effusion was first noted on upper abdominal comp uterized tomographic images and was confirmed by echocardiography. A p uncture wound of the anterior right ventricle was found. As in this ca se, children may not have the typical signs and symptoms of cardiac ta mponade, making the diagnosis difficult and delaying appropriate care. This child's injury could have been prevented through increased paren tal Supervision or a modified toy design that takes into account predi ctable patterns of misuse. (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company