The 31-year experience of 839 cases of heart and pericardial injuries was analyzed. The complicated course was registered in 36%. Such factors as patient's age, blood loss, severity of injury and patient's condition on admission, defined the possibility of complications. No less important were the characteristics of postoperative treatment and early diagnostics of the injury. The thorough analysis of reasons of the complications' development allowed to work out some prophylactic measures and to decrease the frequency of postoperative lethality from 13.8 to 6.8%, whereas the complications rate was decreased from 43.8 to 32.3%.