Struck by Cupid’s arrow: penetrating chest trauma
摘要
Penetrating cardiac injuries are among the leading causes of immediate or early mortality following trauma, consequent to haemorrhage and acute trauma coagulopathy. A 50-year-old male presented 6 h following injury from structural collapse with stable vitals. He was impaled by an iron bar passing through his right hilum, entering the left atrium near the right superior pulmonary vein, and exiting through the right ventricle. Surgical removal of the rod was accomplished without cardiopulmonary bypass and minimal blood loss.