ABSTRACT

A 42-year-old construction worker presented following an accident in which a nail gun had been fired 1 meter away from him and the nail had entered his chest at the anterior axillary line in the tenth right intercostal space. The only positive symptom of the patient was the decrease of the pulse rate while turning round in the stretcher. The nail was removed without operative debridement under local anesthesia in the operating room.

Keywords: Phrenic nerve, irritation, bradycardia, emergency