Traumatic Ventricular Septal Defect

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Abstract
THE treatment of traumatic ventricular septal defects produced by penetrating injuries of the heart is a subject of controversy. Some advocate surgical closure of all such defects whereas others suggest that, as with the congenital variety, the indication for surgery should be determined by the size of the left-to-right shunt. Underlying this dilemma is the paucity of information on the natural history of this lesion. The long-term hemodynamic course of traumatic ventricular septal defects was studied in the following four patients who underwent serial cardiac catheterizations.Case ReportsCase 1. A 57-year-old man sustained a stab wound in the subxiphoid . . .