Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

Esophageal perforation is a rare condition with high rates of mortality if not recognized quickly. This is a case of a 67-year-old male with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. He had one failed intubation attempt prior to arrival. On post-mortem autopsy it was discovered that in addition to significant head trauma, he also had an esophageal and gastric rupture.