successful removal of a rivet from the heart of a boy with penetrating cardiac injury: a case report and literature review

introduction: penetrating cardiac injuries generally occur secondary to gunshot or stab wounds and have a high mortality rate. they are rare and often fatal in children. when a foreign object penetrates the myocardium, it is dangerous to remove it, suddenly, and should be removed gradually to prevent excessive bleeding. case report: we report a case of an unusual penetrating cardiac injury in a 12-year-old boy with a rivet pushed into his sternum and penetrating the right ventricle. after the patient underwent sternotomy and pericardiotomy, the site of the rivet was exposed. a purse was then sutured around the rivet and tightened while pulling it out. the patient was discharged five days post-op, with normal echocardiography after 12 months. a review of the english-written literature revealed that this is the first case of heart trauma with rivet.