Cuerpo extra？o intratorácico post traumatismo penetrante

we present the case of a 21 year old man with an intra thoracic foreign body after penetrating chest trauma. the foreign body was the blade of a knife. it was removed through the wound, without thoracotomy or video-assisted thoracic surgery (vats) and the patient evolved without incidents. intra-thoracic foreign bodies secondary to penetrating trauma are rare. they are usually removed through thoracotomy or vats. both alternatives allow adequate exploration of the intra-thoracic structures and repair injuries that are potentially lethal. in stable patients and selected cases, they can be removed without surgery (without thoracotomy or vats); always in an operating room and under general anesthesia, in case that surgical exploration could be needed after the procedure.