Management of a massive thoracoabdominal impalement: a case report.
A 26 year old male was impaled through his chest and upper abdomen with an iron angle, one and half meter long and five centimeters thick. The iron angle entered the chest, through the epigastrium and exited posteriorly just inferior to the angle of left scapula. The patient was transported to hospital with the iron angle in situ. Positioning the patient for intubation proved a major challenge. An unconventional position for intubation allowed a successful airway management. Paucity of time prevented us from gauging the nature and extent of injury. The challenges posed by massive impalement could be successfully managed due to rapid pre-hospital transfer and co-ordinated team effort.
Sawhney
Chhavi
C
Jay Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi-110029, India. drchhaavisawhney@gmail.com
D'souza
Nita
N
Mishra
Biplab
B
Gupta
Babita
B
Das
Subir
S
D000328:Adult; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000601:surgery*