Acute limb ischemia secondary to bullet embolism following a cardiac gunshot wound in a pediatric patient

Abstract

Bullet embolism following a gunshot wound to the heart is a very unusual cause of acute limb ischemia. We report the case of a 3-year-old boy who sustained a penetrating cardiac trauma secondary to an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound with a BB (ball bearing) gun. The BB pellet entered the left ventricle and embolized into the peripheral circulation, lodging at the bifurcation of the left common femoral artery. This resulted in acute left lower extremity ischemia. The patient was successfully treated by open common femoral artery exploration and foreign body removal.

Keywords

• Acute limb ischemia
• BB gun
• Bullet embolism
• Cardiac trauma
• Gunshot wound
• Missile embolism