Unusual Penetrating, Retained Cardiac Intramural Foreign Body: Case Report

Penetrating cardiac injuries are devastating lesions that represent a major challenge with a high mortality (40-90%). Such injuries are considered a real challenge because of their unpredictable clinical course. Our case is unique to describe a nail penetrated the heart through the right atrium, sparing the tricuspid valve, the inter-ventricular septum, and the conduction system to be retained intramurally at the right ventricular inferior wall without an exit point. Timely diagnosis and proper operative management; enabled us to rescue a victim with penetrating cardiac injury. The use of CPB and the epicardial ultrasonography was beneficial in detecting and extracting the FB