Titanium plate to fix crossed rib can cause cardiac tamponade: A cautionary note
Masaaki Ryomoto1, Naosumi Sekiya2, Hisashi Uemura2
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hyogo College of Medicine, 1-1 Mukogawa-cho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo, 663-8501, Japan. mryomoto@nifty.com.
Abstract:
A 78-year-old woman diagnosed with an infected descending aortic aneurysm underwent graft replacement through a left rib-cross thoracotomy. She developed shock suddenly on the postoperative day 3 owing to cardiac tamponade. We performed emergent surgery and identified a small myocardial laceration in the left ventricular obtuse marginal area and a small perforation on the pericardium. One of the claws used to fix the titanium plate in the cross-rib repair caused this complication. This is a cautionary note regarding this type of titanium plate, which is used in many procedures.
Related Concept Videos
Flail Chest-II
Assessment:
1. Clinical Evaluation:
History:
Pneumothorax-I
Pneumothorax can be even further classified as spontaneous, traumatic, and tension pneumothorax.
Flail Chest-I
Flail chest is a severe and potentially life-threatening condition characterized by the fracture of three or more adjacent ribs in multiple places. It is most commonly caused by direct impacts and trauma, such as motor vehicle accidents or injuries from a steering wheel impact. It can also occur due to falls in elderly individuals with osteoporosis, or assaults involving sharp objects.
Pathophysiology
The pathophysiology of flail chest is complex, involving fractures of...
Pericarditis IV: Nursing Management
The Thoracic Cage: Ribs
Parts of a Typical Rib
A typical rib has a head, neck, and body. The posterior end of the rib is called the head, followed by a narrow neck. The head articulates primarily with the costal...
The Thoracic Cage: Sternum
The sternum is the elongated bony structure on the anterior side of the thoracic cage. It consists of three parts: the manubrium, the body, and the xiphoid...


