An approach to intracardiac needles

Abstract

A 45-year-old woman suddenly developed paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. A plain chest X-ray examination revealed a needle (a Kirschner wire) in the heart. Removal of the needle with video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was attempted but was unsuccessful. VATS may have a role in certain types of intracardiac foreign bodies.