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Case Reports
. 2024 Apr 9;29(10):102319.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2024.102319. eCollection 2024 May 15.

Unveiling an Asymptomatic Cardiac Air-Gunshot Injury

Adham Sameer A Bardeesi  1   2 , Mohamed Koussa  1 , Andre Vincentelli  1 , Augustin Coisne  3 , David Montaigne  3 , François Pontana  4 , Francis Juthier  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Unveiling an Asymptomatic Cardiac Air-Gunshot Injury

Adham Sameer A Bardeesi et al. JACC Case Rep. .

Abstract

Interventricular septum pellet retention after air-gunshot injury in a persistently asymptomatic patient is a rare, clinically significant occurrence. Management involved monitoring, echocardiography, and computed tomography scans. After risk-benefit analysis, we favored a nonsurgical management without prophylactic antibiotics or colchicine. No post-traumatic pericarditis was observed. Patient remained asymptomatic and in excellent condition at 1-month follow-up.

Keywords: air gun; asymptomatic, cardiac; conservative management; gunshot; interventricular septum; multidisciplinary approach; nonsurgical management; penetrating cardiac injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Initial Chest X-Ray (Day 0) Initial chest x-ray (day 0) unveiling a pellet within the mediastinal region (yellow arrow).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Emergency CT Scan (Day 0) Emergency computed tomography (CT) scan (day 0) depicting the projectile's trajectory and its lodgment in the interventricular septum (yellow circle).
Figure 3
Figure 3
TTE (Day 0) Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) (day 0) pinpointing the pellet's location (yellow circle) in the interventricular septum.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Follow-Up CT Scans at 7 Days and 1 Month Follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans at 7 days (A) and 1 month (B) confirming the unchanging position of the pellet (yellow circles), lodged in the distal portion of the interventricular septum (segment 14).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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