Anesthesiology and Critical Care

Biography

Biography: Mohammad M R Miah

Abstract

Penetrating injuries to anterior chest may result in life-threatening complications such as massive haemothorax as a result of injury to the Internal Mammary Artery (IMA). Isolated internal mammary injury is a very rare cause of massive haemothorax and associated with high mortality. Massive tension haemothorax resulting from penetrating internal mammary artery injury, managed with anterior minithoracotomy with uneventful recovery, as in our case, has not been reported yet. Nevertheless, injury to IMA is infrequently reported in literature. It can be a result of penetrating or blunt trauma but still with serious consequences. We are presenting this 32 year old gentleman who sustained a thoracic stab wound. He was in hypovolemic shock with a blood pressure of 80/45 mm Hg and pulse rate of 120 beats per minute. Stab wound was noted in his right anterior chest wall medial to mid-clavicular line and in right parasternal area at 3rd inter costal space measuring about 3 cm × 1 cm with intra thoracic extension. He had an emergency right anterior mini-thoracotomy by extending the stab wound rather than standard thoracotomy or sternotomy and discharged with no complication. Th is potentially life threating injury can be managed by mini-thoracotomy with enhanced recovery; however, it is case specifi c and needs proper judgement.