Overview

• A 44-year-old man sought care at Muhimbili National Hospital after ten days of foul-smelling discharge beneath his right nipple.
• Chest X-rays revealed a retained knife blade in the central chest that had entered via the scapula, with surrounding chronic hematoma, fibrosis, pus and necrotic tissue.
• Surgeons removed the blade and debrided infected tissue, the patient spent 24 hours in intensive care and was discharged after about ten days without further complications.
• The patient reported a violent altercation eight years earlier and received only basic wound closure at the time, with no imaging due to limited resources.
• Researchers noted fibrous encapsulation likely masked symptoms for years but warned the retained blade posed a potential fatal risk and highlighted gaps in trauma care capacity.