Acute Aortic Valve Regurgitation Secondary to Blunt Chest Trauma

Blunt injury to the cardiac valves leads to progressive acute ventricular failure, which often requires urgent surgical management. In this case report, we describe an acute aortic valve rupture caused by air-bag inflation during an automobile accident. Laceration of an aortic valve cusp was treated successfully with urgent aortic valve replacement. A concomitant orthopedic injury was treated electively 15 days after cardiac surgery. Acute aortic valve rupture is a very rare complication of blunt chest trauma. We discuss how to diagnose and manage this potentially catastrophic event. (Tex Heart Inst J 2001;28:312–4)