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Case Summary
A 27-year-old married woman from Omdurman, Sudan, was admitted following a penetrating injury to the anterior chest caused by a large sewing needle (12 cm length, 3 mm diameter). The needle was found fixed to the right ventricle, approximately 2 mm from the anterior descending artery, moving with the heartbeat on ECG systolic waveform. Successful off-pump repair was performed via median sternotomy using a pledgetted 4-0 Prolene stitch without cardiopulmonary bypass. The patient was discharged on post-operative day five without complications.
Keywords: penetrating heart injury; off-pump management; cardiac trauma; median sternotomy
Authors: Prof. Mohamed E. Ahmed, MD, FRCS, FRCP, PhD
Affiliation: Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, El Shaab Teaching Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, AlNeelain University; Zamzam University College, Khartoum, Sudan
Vol. 1, Issue 1 · June 2026 · pp. 38–39