Survival of a Child after Accidental Stab injury to the heart by a Knife: A Case Report

Stab Injury to the Heart in a Child

Abstract

We present a rare case of a child with penetrating cardiac injury (PCI) with a knife and its successful repair. A 10-year-old boy was brought to the emergency department with penetrating injury under the nipple on the left side of the chest, with entrance sized 1x0.5 cm, in a hemodynamically unstable condition. Physical examination showed findings suggestive of cardiac tamponade and shock. Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) and echocardiography visualized pericardial effusion, and chest X-ray showed left pleural effusion.  Needle thoracentesis was performed, followed by urgent sternotomy. Right ventricular tear of size 1x1cm visualized and repaired. The left pleura was drained blood up to 800 milliliters.  The pericardium was closed with sutures. We then placed retrosternal and pericardial drains and sealed the chest with wire sutures at the sternum. During the induction of anesthesia, the patient underwent cardiac arrest, immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation revived the patient and surgery was performed. Here, expertise lies in performing the procedure on a pumping heart without cardiac bypass. In addition, the most common cause of PCI is an intentional gunshot injury in adults. In contrast, our case presents the accidental nature of injury in children by knife, which makes this interesting. Therefore, we documented our experience of this rare finding. In addition, we present a literature review about penetrating injury to the heart, focused on the pediatric population and survival, morbidity, and mortality of the condition with and without access to the hospital.