Bullet Emboli to the Pulmonary Artery: A Report of 2 Patients and Review of the Literature |
| |
Authors: | Larry W. Stephenson Ronald B. Workman Joaquin S. Aldrete Robert B. Karp |
| |
Affiliation: | From the Department of Surgery, University of Alabama in Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL. |
| |
Abstract: | Bullet embolization to the pulmonary artery is a rare event. The purpose of this study is to report our experience with 2 patients and to review the 15 patients reported in the literature, with special emphasis on a rather peculiar complication that has occurred in 4 of the 9 patients who underwent bullet embolectomy: dislodgment of the missile during the surgical procedure and migration to the down-side lung, for which a second thoracotomy was required in 3 of those patients.The usual untoward effects of foreign bodies in the vascular system were seen in this series: embolization with thrombosis, sepsis, erosion and hemorrhage, and vascular occlusion with infarction.This review suggests that operative removal of a bullet in the pulmonary artery is necessary. The operation is safe and uncomplicated if precautions are taken to prevent the missile from migrating during manipulation of the lung. |
| |
Keywords: | Address reprint requests to Dr. Stephenson Department of Surgery University Station Birmingham AL 35294 |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|