| Abstract: | Total creatine kinase (CK) and its myocardial isoenzyme (CK-MB) were determined in 71 children with isolated acute head injury (N = 30), with head injury and polytrauma but without chesttrauma (N = 11) and with head injury and polytrauma including chest trauma (N = 30) on the second and third day after injury. Electrocardiograms were recorded in 56/71 children on each of the first three days in hospital. Elevations of CK-MB isoenzyme over 6% respectively over 10% of total CK are found as frequently in children with head injury without chest trauma as in children with head trauma and chest trauma. In addition there is no significant correlation between the level of the CK-MB and the incidence of ECG features characteristically associated with heart contusion. This study shows that the determination of CK-MB cannot be used as a criterion for diagnosing heart contusion in children with head injury. The finding of CK-MB in the serum of 53% children with isolated head injury exceeding 6% of total CK, and in the serum of 33% children exceeding 10% of total CK strongly suggests myocardial damage to be a frequent complication of cerebral damage with consecutive extreme sympathetic stimulation. |
