Manubriectomy made easy.

Bone metastasis is the most common form of distant metastasis encountered within the breast cancer population. Surgical resection of bone metastases is a curative treatment option in patients who present with an isolated solitary lesion and no other associated disease. This decision is typically made following a multidisciplinary discussion. Patients can also be put forward for surgical excision of bone metastases following inadequate response to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.  With tumours located in the manubrium of the sternum, surgery serves not only to resect the bone metastasis but to provide suitable chest wall reconstruction. The goal of this approach is to maintain the structural and bony stability of the chest wall as well as that of associated structures, e.g. rib insertion or articulation of the shoulder girdle. A widely utilized approach involves excising the area of metastasis within the manubrium followed by implanting a bone cement prosthesis. Titanium plates are used to fix the bone prosthesis to the sternal body inferiorly and to the remainder of the manubrium superiorly.  We present a step-by-step video tutorial for performing a lower hemi-manubriectomy in a patient with triple-negative breast cancer. Our goal is to describe the fundamental principles and surgical techniques used to perform this procedure followed by the postoperative outcomes.

Triplegic Stroke After Air Embolism From Bronchogenic Cyst Secondary to Barotrauma.

Emergency medical assistance is rare regarding air travel. Pulmonary barotrauma during air travel can occur in asymptomatic patients who have underlying intraparenchymal pulmonary pathology such as bullae or bronchogenic cysts. During aircraft travel the resultant decrease in pressure during the ascent can lead to expansion of cyst volume, culminating in tears and leakage of air into the surrounding vasculature and thus the potential for air embolism. We describe a case of massive cerebral air embolism secondary to pulmonary barotrauma in a previously asymptomatic patient.

Acute Traumatic Right to Left Cardiac Shunt.

Cardiac injuries after penetrating chest trauma are uncommon but potentially life threatening; these injuries can remain occult during the early stage because of the cardiac reserve of youthful physiology and may present at a later stage as the initial damage progresses or compensatory mechanisms fail. We report a case of unusual penetrating cardiac trauma from a posterior intercostal stab wound that affected both the interatrial septum and the tricuspid valve, leading to a stormy presentation as a result of the development of an acute right-to-left shunt followed by a successful surgical repair.