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| Year : 2015 | Volume
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| Issue : 2 | Page : 125-126 |
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| Successful treatment of a penetrating pulmonary artery injury caused by a Japanese sword in a patient transported by a physician-staffed helicopter |
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Hiromichi Ohsaka, Youichi Yanagawa, Yoshikazu Miyasaka, Ken Okamoto
Department of Acute Critical Care Medicine, Shizuoka Hospital, Juntendo University, Izunokuni, Shizuoka, Japan
Click here for correspondence address and email
| Date of Web Publication | 21-Apr-2015 |
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How to cite this article:
Ohsaka H, Yanagawa Y, Miyasaka Y, Okamoto K. Successful treatment of a penetrating pulmonary artery injury caused by a Japanese sword in a patient transported by a physician-staffed helicopter. J Emerg Trauma Shock 2015;8:125-6 |
How to cite this URL:
Ohsaka H, Yanagawa Y, Miyasaka Y, Okamoto K. Successful treatment of a penetrating pulmonary artery injury caused by a Japanese sword in a patient transported by a physician-staffed helicopter. J Emerg Trauma Shock [serial online] 2015 [cited 2021 Jan 24];8:125-6. Available from: https://www.onlinejets.org/text.asp?2015/8/2/125/145393 |
Sir,
We herein present a case of successful treatment of a penetrating pulmonary artery injury caused by a Japanese sword (katana) in a patient transported by a physician-staffed helicopter. A 91-year-old male stabbed his chest and abdomen and cut his head with a katana and was found in a coma by his family. His history included dementia, schizophrenia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. A physician transported by a helicopter checked the patient at a rendezvous point in an ambulance and found that the katana had penetrated the patient's body from the fourth intercostal of the left anterior chest to the back [Figure 1]. The patient was in a deep coma and also a state of severe hemorrhagic shock. His venous route and airway were secured, and he was transported to our hospital. He remained in a coma with shock and demonstrated left pneumoderma in the left chest; therefore, he underwent placement of an indwelling chest tube, followed by drainage of 500 ml of hemorrhagic fluid. Permissive hypotensive therapy to maintain the systolic blood pressure from 60 to 80 mmHg was selected with transfusion of blood type O, and emergency thoracotomy was performed in the operating room. The patient temporally exhibited pulseless electrical activity due to massive hemorrhage, and fluid resuscitation resulted in spontaneous circulation. Injuries of the lingual, left pulmonary artery, and diaphragm were found, and primary closure of the pulmonary artery with clamping of the pulmonary hilum, primary closure of the diaphragm, and lobectomy of the lingual region were performed. The abdominal stab wound did not reach the intra-abdominal cavity and was also closed. After the operation, the patient developed pyothorax and was treated with antibiotics. He achieved a full somatic recovery and was transferred to a psychiatric hospital. The patient was successfully treated, despite his advanced age and severe shock state resulting from injury of major thoracic vessels. [1],[2],[3],[4] The key to success was a multidisciplinary approach, including early medical intervention, transportation using a physician-staffed helicopter, and the administration of permissive hypotensive treatment and emergency thoracotomy with clamping of the pulmonary hilum. | Figure 1: A katana penetrates a patient's body from the fourth intercostal of the left anterior chest to the back
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 References | |  |
| 1. | Fatimi SH, Hanif HM, Awais A, Shamsi G, Muzaffar M. Major thoracic vessels and cardiac trauma: Case series from a center in a developing country. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg 2012;18:490-4.  |
| 2. | Onan B, Demirhan R, Öz K, Onan IS. Cardiac and great vessel injuries after chest trauma: Our 10-year experience. Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg 2011;17:423-9. |
| 3. | Mandal AK, Sanusi M. Penetrating chest wounds: 24 years experience. World J Surg 2001;25:1145-9. |
| 4. | Baillot R, Dontigny L, Verdant A, Pagé P, Pagé A, Mercier C, et al. Penetrating chest trauma: A 20-year experience. J Trauma 1987;27:994-7. |
Correspondence Address:
Youichi Yanagawa
Department of Acute Critical Care Medicine, Shizuoka Hospital, Juntendo University, Izunokuni, Shizuoka
Japan
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0974-2700.145393
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