Cardiac Penetrating Injury: Case Report

Chest penetrating wounds may appear innocuous but are often associated with significant morbidity and mortality as a result of injuries to intrathoraci vital organs. Prompt evaluation and treatment is essential for a favorable outcome. We described a patient with a retained foreign body in the pericardium who presented with cardiac tamponade. The patient had been operating a molding machine when a splin-ter of broken steel embedded itself in her right chest wall. We removed the sharp metal fragment through a sternotomy and repaired a cardiac wound. She was asymptomatic during a one-year follow-up period. We emphasize an unusual case of a penetrating injury with a pericardial as well as projectile injury.