A lethal chest injury following rhinoceros attack– a case report

Abstract

Injuries following wild animal encounters continue to be a major public health problem. Majority of such injuries are minor, however, many injuries remain undocumented. Many victim die, primarily in third-world countries, before receiving adequate medical care. Penetrating injuries to the chest following the attack by the wild animals, though rare, present a challenging problem. Though a great number of papers have been published regarding the injuries following encounter with animals, least are the lethal injuries occuring in the thoracic region and the survival out of these grave injury is very minimum. We herein present the least possible surviving case with lethal penetrating injury of the chest and left lung following the goring by the rhinoceros.

Rhinoceros-related delayed traumatic diaphragmatic rupture

“…The animal usually prefers not to attack humans but to run for a few hundred meters before stopping. [8] The rhinoceros-related human injury, which was reported by Shah et al, [5] was mainly a goring penetrating chest injury that caused a large left open wound. Our patient presented with a life-threatening left traumatic diaphragmatic hernia three years after the initial rhinoceros-related injury.…”

“…They can be seriously aggressive and dangerous even with the slightest provocation because they have poor vision. [5,7] Both the Indian and African rhinoceroses have 20-100 cm long single horns that are used as lethal weapons. [5] Accordingly, rhinoceroses have no natural predators.…”

“…[5,7] Both the Indian and African rhinoceroses have 20-100 cm long single horns that are used as lethal weapons. [5] Accordingly, rhinoceroses have no natural predators. [6] Male rhinoceroses protect their exclusive non-overlapping territories that they mark by the smell of their own urine and stool.…”

“…There is only one case report in the literature describing this mechanism. [5] Herein, we report a life-threatening traumatic diaphragmatic hernia in a woman who presented three years after a rhinoceros gored her chest.…”

Evisceration of intestines with diaphragmatic laceration and gastric perforation secondary to trauma by rhinoceros attack and its management: a case report

“…Injuries and death from animal attacks continue to be one of major public health problems worldwide at present. Although the majority of such injuries are minor, however, many injuries remain undocumented and many people die, especially in third-world countries like Nepal, India 1 . Animal-related attacks and injuries should be analysed based on the behaviour and anatomy of the attacking animal.…”