title: [The assessment of cardiac involvement in a case of a thoracic injury from a firearm].
abstract: We report the case of a patient with a gunshot wound in the chest with a multiple small-caliber intrathoracic projectiles. The different noninvasive techniques employed to evaluate the anatomical location of these projectiles are discussed, together with their cardiac structural repercussions. The data provided by a simple chest X-ray, Computed Tomography (CT) and transthoracic echocardiography are commented on. A simple chest X-ray was unable to discern the location of the projectiles, in contrast to CT, which was able to identify both the number of projectiles and their location. The information provided was enhanced by transthoracic echocardiography, particularly in relation to those projectiles situated in anterior cardiac regions.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Clínico Universitario, Valencia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cánoves
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mainar
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Chorro
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gimeno
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bodí
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Egea
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Porres
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: López Merino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006335:Heart Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*