Iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothorax

This case report describes an uncommon occurrence of cardiac injury and perforation resulting from chest tube placement. The patient, a 44-year-old female, presented to the ED with severe blunt force trauma following a pedestrian motor vehicle collision. Imaging revealed a large pneumothorax and mul...

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Main Authors: Shervin Zoghi, BS, BA, Cameron L. Brock, MD, Kwame Atsina, MD, Yasser G. Abdelhafez, MD, PhD, Fatma Sen, MD, Lorenzo Nardo, MD, PhD, Mohammad H. Madani, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Radiology Case Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043325003875
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author Shervin Zoghi, BS, BA
Cameron L. Brock, MD
Kwame Atsina, MD
Yasser G. Abdelhafez, MD, PhD
Fatma Sen, MD
Lorenzo Nardo, MD, PhD
Mohammad H. Madani, MD
author_facet Shervin Zoghi, BS, BA
Cameron L. Brock, MD
Kwame Atsina, MD
Yasser G. Abdelhafez, MD, PhD
Fatma Sen, MD
Lorenzo Nardo, MD, PhD
Mohammad H. Madani, MD
author_sort Shervin Zoghi, BS, BA
collection DOAJ
description This case report describes an uncommon occurrence of cardiac injury and perforation resulting from chest tube placement. The patient, a 44-year-old female, presented to the ED with severe blunt force trauma following a pedestrian motor vehicle collision. Imaging revealed a large pneumothorax and multiple fractures. Pulsatile bleeding was observed during chest tube placement, and the tube’s tip was later found on CT of the thorax to be located within the heart. Although the patient recovered by postoperative day 13 and was subsequently discharged, this case highlights the importance of performing this procedure under image-guidance, along with elucidating the critical role of serial thorough clinical evaluations and prompt imaging for early detection and management of complications.
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publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Elsevier
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series Radiology Case Reports
spelling doaj-art-2fdc0c5c4f4f45a9982c0c3abdb509a32025-08-20T03:10:28ZengElsevierRadiology Case Reports1930-04332025-08-012083875387810.1016/j.radcr.2025.04.089Iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothoraxShervin Zoghi, BS, BA0Cameron L. Brock, MD1Kwame Atsina, MD2Yasser G. Abdelhafez, MD, PhD3Fatma Sen, MD4Lorenzo Nardo, MD, PhD5Mohammad H. Madani, MD6School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USADepartment of Radiology, University of California, Davis, CA, USADivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California DavisDepartment of Radiology, University of California, Davis, CA, USADepartment of Radiology, University of California, Davis, CA, USADepartment of Radiology, University of California, Davis, CA, USADepartment of Radiology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; Corresponding author.This case report describes an uncommon occurrence of cardiac injury and perforation resulting from chest tube placement. The patient, a 44-year-old female, presented to the ED with severe blunt force trauma following a pedestrian motor vehicle collision. Imaging revealed a large pneumothorax and multiple fractures. Pulsatile bleeding was observed during chest tube placement, and the tube’s tip was later found on CT of the thorax to be located within the heart. Although the patient recovered by postoperative day 13 and was subsequently discharged, this case highlights the importance of performing this procedure under image-guidance, along with elucidating the critical role of serial thorough clinical evaluations and prompt imaging for early detection and management of complications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043325003875Chest tube placementIatrogenicCardiac perforation
spellingShingle Shervin Zoghi, BS, BA
Cameron L. Brock, MD
Kwame Atsina, MD
Yasser G. Abdelhafez, MD, PhD
Fatma Sen, MD
Lorenzo Nardo, MD, PhD
Mohammad H. Madani, MD
Iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothorax
Radiology Case Reports
Chest tube placement
Iatrogenic
Cardiac perforation
title Iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothorax
title_full Iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothorax
title_fullStr Iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothorax
title_full_unstemmed Iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothorax
title_short Iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothorax
title_sort iatrogenic chest tube placement within the heart following a large pneumothorax
topic Chest tube placement
Iatrogenic
Cardiac perforation
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1930043325003875
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