Nail to the heart: no big deal. A rare case of post-traumatic pericarditis.

This is a unique case report of a 32-year-old man who presented with pneumatic nail gun injury to his right chest at work. He removed the nail and continued to work through the day. With continued chest pain, he presented to the emergency room and an echocardiogram revealed moderate-size pericardial effusion. He was managed conservatively as he was haemodynamically stable. Serial echocardiograms revealed slow resolution of the effusion over 3 days. At his 3-month follow-up appointment, there was complete resolution of his effusion. This case highlights the importance of obtaining imaging studies in penetrating chest wall injuries and utilisation of medications to prevent expected complications. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.