An unusual occurrence of penetrating aortic arch injury by a ball-point pen: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Aortic arch injuries account for about 8% of thoracic aortic injuries. Penetrating zone I neck injuries account for 18% of vascular injuries in the neck and have great potential to traverse to involve thoracic vascular structures as well. The hard and soft signs of vascular injury facilitate triage of patients on an individual basis. We present a case of a ball-point pen traversing through zone I of the neck and causing penetrating aortic arch injury with minimal mediastinal haemorrhage. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a polytrauma patient who was admitted with traumatic brain injury and a ball-point pen lodged above the sternal notch in zone I of the neck following a road traffic accident. He underwent mediastinal exploration via a median sternotomy. The ball-point pen was found penetrating the anterior wall of the aortic arch and resting in its lumen. The ball-point pen was successfully explanted and primary repair of the penetrating aortic arch injury was done. He had an uneventful recovery without any added secondary neurological complications. CONCLUSION: Penetrating aortic arch injuries are rare compared to injuries of the ascending aorta and descending aorta. They require a high index of suspicion, rapid investigation and urgent intervention in view of their high associated fatality. The ball-point pen in this case assumed the shape of a plug which acted as a seal at the site of injury preventing catastrophic exsanguination.

Tricuspid reoperation after left-sided rheumatic valve operations.

BACKGROUND: The management of late tricuspid regurgitation after left-sided valve operations in rheumatic patients remains controversial. The aim of this study was to analyze clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of tricuspid valve procedures after left-sided valve operations in rheumatic patients. METHODS: This study enrolled 106 rheumatic patients with a history of left-sided valve operations who were undergoing tricuspid valve procedures (53 replacements, 53 repairs). Follow-up was 97% complete, with a mean follow-up of 62 ± 42 months. Clinical and echocardiographic data were analyzed. RESULTS: The early mortality rate was 1.9% (2 of 106 patients). There was no significant difference in cumulative survival at 10 years between patients who underwent tricuspid valve replacement (63.1% ± 13.2%) or repair (80.7% ± 0.8%, p = 0.317). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that old age (hazard ratio [HR], 6.5; p = 0.007), anemia (HR, 10.9; p = 0.004), and left ventricular ejection fraction of less than 0.4 (HR, 10.3; p = 0.001) were predictors of major adverse cardiac events. Among patients who underwent tricuspid valve repair, multivariate analysis revealed that the aortic transprosthetic mean pressure gradient at late follow-up was an independent predictor of late tricuspid regurgitation. CONCLUSIONS: Tricuspid valve procedures after left-sided valve operations in rheumatic patients can be performed at low risk with good clinical outcomes. For improved clinical outcomes, early surgical intervention should be considered before the development of anemia and left ventricular dysfunction. A lower aortic transprosthetic mean pressure gradient may help prevent late progression of tricuspid regurgitation in a clinical setting.