Surviving shot through the heart: management in two cases

ABSTRACT

Penetrating cardiac injuries after gunshot are usually fatal and are very challenging to manage for surgeons even in fully-equipped centres. Such injuries can cause ventricular septal defect [VSD] or cardiac tamponade depending upon the distance, direction and velocity of the bullet. Stable patients can be subjected to investigations like computed tomography [CT] to avoid unnecessary intervention, but unstable patients should be rushed to the operating room. We discuss management in two cases of traversing bullet injury to the heart. In the first case, traumatic VSD was significant, requiring closure on cardiopulmonary bypass [CPB] along with repair of right and left ventricular injury. In the second case, only the repair of right and left ventricles was performed without CPB. They both had traversing bullet injury through the heart