Acute apical myocardial infarction after blunt chest trauma incurred during a basketball game.

Acute myocardial infarction resulting from blunt chest trauma is an infrequent but potentially lethal complication of severe trauma such as that associated with motor vehicle accidents. The occurrence of acute myocardial infarction after minor blunt chest trauma incurred during sports is quite rare. A literature search found only three reported cases between 1980 and 1999. Family physicians are often involved in treating sports injuries in an office practice or the emergency department or as team physicians. This entity merits a place in the differential diagnoses whenever examining a patient with blunt anterior chest trauma.