@article{ref1,
title="Air rifle pellet injury to the heart with retrograde caval migration",
journal="Journal of trauma",
year="1995",
author="Wascher, R. A. and Gwinn, B. C.",
volume="38",
number="3",
pages="379-381",
abstract="Great emphasis is placed on the lethality of modern high-powered street weapons, and their impact on mortality from firearm injuries. Presented is a case of an air rifle BB injury to the chest, resulting in a penetrating injury of the right heart, with apparent retrograde embolization to the inferior vena cava. Although no clinical evidence of pericardial tamponade was present 4 hours following injury, 150 mL of pericardial blood was encountered at median sternotomy, secondary to a right atrial appendage entry wound. This case exemplifies three important principles regarding penetrating chest trauma and air guns: (1) Modern air rifles, capable of muzzle velocities as high as 900 fps, are intrinsically lethal weapons; (2) missiles within the cardiovascular system have a propensity for embolization, and often follow an intuitively unexpected course; and (3) young healthy patients with potentially lethal penetrating cardiac injuries, particularly those caused by low velocity firearms, may appear stable and minimally injured in the emergency room. A strong suspicion of cardiac injury and prompt intervention should be extended to airgun injuries of the thorax.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0022-5282",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}