Doctors find large knife lodged in man’s chest for EIGHT years

Stunned doctors found a man had been living with a large knife blade lodged in his chest for eight years.

In a startling medical revelation, doctors at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania discovered a large knife blade embedded in a man’s chest, which had remained unnoticed for eight years. The 44-year-old patient arrived at the hospital with complaints of pain and pus discharge from his nipple, cough or fever, and it left medics baffled as he had no other symptoms. . However, an X-ray revealed the shocking presence of a metal object lodged in his chest.

The case, recently documented in the National Library of Medicine, highlights the resilience of the human body. The man, who had no major health issues prior to his hospital visit, reported that white pus had been coming out of his right nipple for the past ten days. Despite this, he did not experience chest pain, breathing difficulties, cough, or fever.

Doctors find large knife lodged in man’s chest for EIGHT years

It left doctors stumped – and it wasn’t until the man recalled an incident which took place nearly a decade ago that they were able to put the pieces together. 

During a “violent altercation”, he said he sustained multiple cuts to his face, back, chest, and abdomen, though doctors treated the wounds at the time.

Doctors find large knife lodged in man’s chest for EIGHT years

Life had been “uneventful” since, according to the patient, until he noticed pus coming from below his nipple. And then incredibly, a chest radiograph found the cause of his current ailment – a large knife blade lodged in the mid-thorax. Doctors could see the knife had entered through the right scapula, and had managed to dodge any major organs.

The knife was carefully extracted during surgery, with the pus – caused by dead tissue – drained at the same time. The man stayed in the ICU for 24 hours before being transferred to the general ward, where he remained for 10 days while doctors monitored his condition.