A 45-year-old man presents to the emergency department with chest pain after a high-speed motor vehicle accident where his sternum hit the steering wheel. You notice an area of ecchymosis noted over his sternum, so you decide to get a CT scan (Figure 1).![](https://i0.wp.com/www.aliem.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SPLINTER_BreakingHeartMain.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.aliem.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SPLINTER_BreakingHeartMain.jpg?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1)
Figure 1. Case courtesy of Dr Henry Knipe, Radiopaedia.org, rID: 26332
Check out ALiEM’s Paucis Verbis cards to brush up on other can’t miss orthopedic injuries, and SplintER Series for more thoracic cases.
References
- Khoriati A, Rajakulasingam R, Shah R. Sternal fractures and their management. J Emerg Trauma Shock. 2013;6(2):113-116. PMID: 23723620
- Bentley TP, Ponnarasu S, Journey JD. Sternal Fracture. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2021. Accessed July 8, 2021. PMID: 29939567