Shotgun recoil causing severe acute aortic regurgitation years after replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta

Abstract

Blunt chest trauma can lead to severe, life-threatening injury to chest organs, including the aorta, heart, lungs, and major airways. We describe a 64-year-old man who had undergone replacement of his aortic valve and ascending aorta 14 years earlier (at age 50) and suddenly developed severe aortic regurgitation after firing his shotgun while hunting. Such an event has not been reported previously.

Keywords:

• Aortic regurgitation
• bioprosthetic aortic valve replacement
• echocardiography
• shotgun recoil
• trauma