title: Intracardiac needle in a man with self-injurious behaviour presenting with only a heart murmur.
abstract: Symptoms of a heart murmur in a 48-year-old male schizophrenic patient with self-injurious behaviour were investigated. Immediately noticeable were multiple scars on his hands. Clinical evidence of subcutaneous needles and aortic regurgitation was found. Echocardiography revealed a linear metallic foreign body across the interventricular septum. He underwent surgery and via a right atriotomy, a needle from the same location was removed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, KEM Hospital, Parel, Bombay, India.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Jagmeet
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: D'Silva
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Lokhandwala
authors.forename: B V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Dalvi
mesh_terms: D004452:Echocardiography; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006321:Heart; D006337:Heart Murmurs / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000150:complications*