A shrapnel migration from a peripheral vein to the right ventricle: case report

Foreign bodies that migrate into the heart may include medical devices dislodged from their original location or, rarely, external particles (shrapnel and other foreign bodies) that penetrate the vein, remain intraluminal, and migrate via the venous blood flow to the right heart. Most reported entry sites of these external foreign bodies were in the torso, thigh, or neck; none of them penetrated through a distal extremity of the body. We report a case where shrapnel was found in the right ventricle (RV) following penetrating injury to the hand.

An otherwise healthy 24-year-old man presented with an isolated shrapnel injury to his right hand and forearm from an explosion trauma. Computed tomography demonstrated multiple small metal objects in the forearm, hand, and wrist. Additionally, a 3 × 3.5 mm metal object was found in the RV, consistent with a metal shrapnel embolus from the forearm. Echocardiography indicated the fragment to be in a fixed position within the RV, without any additional pathology.

Even shrapnel that penetrates through the hand or forearm may migrate to the heart. In this case, following a multidisciplinary discussion, a conservative approach was recommended based on the following condition: lack of symptoms, small size of the foreign body, no obstruction of venous effluent, low risk of significant embolization to the pulmonary vasculature, absence of fever or endocarditis, no current evidence or risk of valve dysfunction, and no myocardial irritation indicated by arrhythmia. The patient was instructed to avoid magnetic resonance imaging scans.