Intracardiac penetrating injury with right femoral artery embolism due to blast injury

Abstract

Embolization due to blast injury with projectiles entering the bloodstream from the heart is a rare event that is unlikely to be suspected during the initial assessment of trauma patients. We report a case in which a missile penetrating the heart chambers managed to embolize and occlude the right common femoral artery. This was successfully managed by means of a multidisciplinary approach that included exploration, cardiorrhaphy, and embolectomy.

Keywords

• Cardiac trauma
• embolism
• right femoral artery