The 44-year-old man, who arrived at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam complaining of pus discharge from his right nipple, was shocked to learn through an X-ray that he has been living with a large knife in his chest since a violent altercation eight years ago.

According to the case study published in the National Library of Medicine, the patient reported no chest pain, difficulty breathing, or fever, and only recalled the fight, during which he suffered multiple stab wounds, after doctors pressed for more details. At the time of the incident, the hospital where he was initially treated lacked radiological equipment, and his wounds were simply sutured.

“Initial imaging with a lateral chest radiograph demonstrated a retained metallic object in the mid-thorax,” doctors wrote, adding that the knife narrowly missed major organs and had been encapsulated by tissue over the years.

The man’s symptoms only surfaced after dead tissue and pus formed around the object. Surgeons later extracted the knife along with the infected tissue in a delicate procedure.

He spent 24 hours in intensive care before being transferred to the general ward, where he recovered for 10 days. Follow-up checks confirmed his recovery was uneventful.

The case has drawn widespread attention in Tanzania, with medical experts describing it as one of the rarest and most extraordinary discoveries in recent years.

Source: Tribune