Blunt chest trauma associated cardiac injury diagnosis in the emergency department: A systematic review

Background: Diagnosing cardiac contusions from forceful chest trauma is still difficult due to the non-specific symptoms it produces and the absence of reliable diagnostics to identify myocardial damage. This study's aim to assess how well diagnostic techniques identify blunt heart damage and its consequences. 

Method: PRISMA criteria were followed in the conduct of this systematic review study. Two reviewers searched the MEDLINE, Scopus, and Embase databases to locate relevant works from 2014 to 2024. The search was limited to publications written in English. We considered case series, observational studies, and prospective or retrospective cohort studies that look at ways to diagnose blunt cardiac damage. Studies that evaluate biomarker-based diagnostics or imaging modalities. We incorporate research that reports on the diagnostic modalities' sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Research assessing the clinical results of using these diagnostic instruments. 

Result and conclusion: The complexity of BCI diagnosis and treatment indicated the necessity for an all-encompassing diagnostic strategy. Although CMR and DECT provide excellent diagnostic accuracy, they are occasionally unsuitable in situations involving severe trauma. TEE has become a very useful bedside technique, particularly for patients who are unstable. Troponins and ECG are screening tests that can be used to rule out BCI because of their moderate sensitivity and high specificity.