Cardiac tamponade caused by a migrating sewing needle

Abstract

 

Penetrating injuries of the heart caused by migrating needles have been rarely described. They usually occur accidentally or are self-inflicted in the setting of an underlying psychiatric disorder. We present an unusual case of cardiac tamponade caused by a sewing needle that migrated to the heart from the chest wall through the lung. The lesions were successfully repaired through a median sternotomy without cardiopulmonary bypass. The pathophysiological mechanism and the pertinent literature are briefly analysed.