title: Impalement injury of the thorax: report of a case.
abstract: We report herein the case of a 33-year-old man who survived an impalement injury of the thorax involving the heart, esophagus, and spinal cord. The patient was transported to our hospital with the impalement object left in situ and it was extracted under cardiopulmonary bypass in an operating room. The important principles of surgical management contributing to the successful outcome of such patients are discussed following the presentation of this case.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, Kagoshima University, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimokawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shiota
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyohira
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moriyama
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D004947:Esophagus / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D013249:Sternum / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*