Doctors discover knife blade in man’s chest after 8 years

A 44-year-old man was found to have a knife blade lodged in his chest for nearly a decade, according to a recent report in PubMed Central, an electronic archive of biomedical and life sciences journal articles.

The patient sought medical care after noticing pus leaking just below one of his nipples. He reportedly told doctors that he had not experienced chest pain or difficulty breathing, but the area had appeared infected for about a week and a half.

“Doctors noted that the man said he was stabbed multiple times in the face, back, chest and abdomen eight years prior. He received treatment at a health clinic at that time, where his wounds were stitched up. However, a radiological investigation was not conducted due to limited resources in the area."

After visiting the general team at Muhimbili National Hospital, the patient received comprehensive treatment for the old stab wound. Initial imaging revealed that the knife blade had entered through his right shoulder area and remained embedded in his chest all these years.

The medical team successfully removed the blade, and the patient was discharged from the hospital 10 days later, according to the May 2025 report.