An impressive case of isolated thoracic impalement.

CASE: A 61-year-old male construction worker was admitted to our Emergency Department due to being impaled in the chest after fall onto the long pole of his cement mixer. He was promptly scanned through the CT then transferred to theatre where unique technique for intubation was utilised prior to performing a Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery exploration and extraction of the foreign object.

DISCUSSION: Impalement injuries are classified into Types I or II depending on the direction of movement of the human body in relation to the foreign object. There currently is no consensus on the best management of chest wall injuries involving impalements. Our case utilised Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery as the dominant method of intervention together with highly skilled anaesthetic preparation.

CONCLUSION

The combined expert anaesthetic and surgical approach utilised collectively had a role in ensuring the best possible outcome for the patient.