Pulmonary embolism from gunshot missiles.

In patients having missile wounds, the most bizarre trajectories and lodgment sites have been reported. Entry of the missile into the blood stream and subsequent embolization is quite an uncommon event. Isolated reports published in the literature date back to the beginning of the century. This article was undertaken to present two instances of pulmonary embolism due to gunshot missiles. Most investigators agree that the missile should be removed when located in the pulmonary artery and its branches because of the high risk of severe complications, such as pulmonary infarction, secondary thrombosis, infection, erosion of the arterial wall and local hemorrhage. In such instances, a thoracotomy is recommended. The alternative treatment in the instances reported herein, conceived and successfully performed by us, was embolectomy through percutaneous cardiovascular catheterization. As a novel procedure, the method has proved effective and liable to minimal risk.