Stab wound to the heart in a two year old

Abstract

Paediatric stabbed chest is rarely described in the literature, and is even more scarce in this age group. This incident is a reflection of a society plagued by violence, in an overloaded healthcare system. We report the case of a two year old girl, who while in the care of her grandmother, was stabbed by a relative. In a resource-poor setting, with constraints at every level of the referral and treatment process, this little girl escaped certain death, when key role players and external factors aligned to give her the best possible outcome.