Case report

Pulmonary bullet embolism – a safe treatment strategy of a potentially fatal injury: a case report

Ali M Hassan¹ , Roger S Cooley¹ , Thomas J Papadimos¹ , John J Fath² , Thomas A Schwann² and Haitham Elsamaloty³

¹  Department of Anesthesiology, University of Toledo, College of Medicine, 3000 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, Ohio 43614, USA

²  Department of Surgery, University of Toledo, College of Medicine, 3000 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, Ohio 43614, USA

³  Department of Radiology, University of Toledo, College of Medicine, 3000 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, Ohio 43614, USA

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Patient Safety in Surgery 2009, 3:12doi:10.1186/1754-9493-3-12

Published:	19 June 2009

Abstract

Background

Vascular embolization of a projectile discharged from a weapon is a rare event. In this report a hunter's errant gunshot struck a farmer in the left chest.

Case report

The projectile was lodged between the apex of the heart and the diaphragm. The patient was treated non-operatively and was discharged home only to return to the emergency department with chest pain and subsequent identification of the projectile in the left inferior pulmonary vein. Operative management consisted of a median sternotomy, cardiopulmonary bypass, and a pulmonary venectomy.

Conclusion

He was subsequently discharged home and recovered uneventfully.