Premium
Total Mediastinal Traverse with Isolated Internal Mammary Artery Transection
Author(s) -
Khoynezhad Ali,
Barrett Leonard,
Hayn Ernesto,
Shaftan Gerald W.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of cardiac surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.428
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1540-8191
pISSN - 0886-0440
DOI - 10.1111/j.0886-0440.2004.04026.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mammary artery , hemopneumothorax , gunshot injury , surgery , gunshot wound , radiology , artery , pneumothorax
Transmediastinal gunshot wounds are infrequent but life‐threatening injuries. The course of the projectile and the bullet track often is unpredictable. Prompt and specific diagnostic and therapeutic interventions are necessary to quickly identify and repair potentially life‐threatening injuries to the heart, great vessels, and the aerodigestive tract. Multiple diagnostic algorithms exist for work‐up of these injuries, and the therapeutic interventions are diverse and challenging. We describe a patient with total mediastinal traverse, who presented with right‐sided hemopneumothorax. The work‐up revealed surprisingly an isolated left internal mammary artery transection with a significant hemorrhage that mandated surgical intervention in left chest. (J Card Surg 2004;19:136‐138)