title: Re-sternotomy as an unwelcome side-effect of unknown effervescent tablet intake?
abstract: Four hours after surgery for aortic valve stenosis and tricuspid valve regurgitation, an unknown foreign body was present on the routine chest X-ray. We performed re-sternotomy in order to retrieve this foreign body. The foreign body was easy to move on fluoroscopy but we could not extract it. We concluded that the foreign body was in a subdiaphragmatic location. As a consequence, we performed gastroscopy. A white, frothy mass (similar to an undissolved effervescent tablet) within an ulcerated lesion was seen and partially extracted.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria. andreas.voetsch@medunigraz.at
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vötsch
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beran
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zirngast
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mächler
mesh_terms: D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000601:surgery; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery; D000075202:Contraindications; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D005773:Gastroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056346:Sternotomy; D014262:Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000601:surgery