Swallowed a Needle Stuck in Heart

Abstract

Cardiac tamponade (CT) is a clinical entity characterized by hemodynamic insufficiency resulting from increased intrapericardial pressure due to accumulation of contents such as serous fluid, blood, and pus. CT is a treatable cause of cardiogenic shock, which can be fatal unless diagnosed promptly. Dyspnea, chest pain, hypotension, tachycardia, pulsus paradoxus, raised jugular venous pressure, muffled heart sounds, decreased electrocardiographic voltage, and enlarged cardiac silhouette on chest X-ray are the major clinical signs in CT. Idiopathic or viral pericardititis, iatrogenic trauma during percutaneous coronary interventions or coronary artery bypass grafting, external trauma, malignancies, acute or chronic kidney disease, collagen vascular diseases, tuberculosis, radiation on the chest wall, hypothyroidism and aortic dissection are the etiologic factors. Herein, we present a case of surgically treated CT, which was diagnosed in the third day of ingestion of a sewing needle.

Cardioembolic strokes resulting from a self‐inflicted needle puncture involving both sides of the heart

“…Anecdotal evidence supports surgical removal for symptomatic foreign bodies in the heart, or those deemed at high risk for development of complications . There have only been a few cases of foreign bodies in the left ventricle, and therefore, no statistically robust recommendations are available for management.…”