Ascending aorta injury followed by cardiac tamponade after sternal puncture

Heart or great outflow vessel injury followed by cardiac tamponade is an extremely rare event. However, it is the most dangerous complication of sternal puncture requiring urgent surgical intervention. The effectiveness of specialized care directly depends on its availability and timely diagnosis. Echocardiography is the simplest and informative method for objective diagnosis. We report successful surgical treatment of a 21-year-old patient with intrapericardial injury of the ascending aorta following sternal puncture.