Woman’s Breast Implant Deflects .40-Caliber Bullet, Saving Her Life

Silicone breast implants make poor body armor as a general rule, but in one case in 2018 they were just enough to save a woman’s life.

A 30-year-old woman arrived at a trauma center in Toronto, Canada, after suffering a gunshot wound to the chest. Doctors were surprised to find her “comfortable… with no distress” and soon discovered that the bullet had been slowed and deflected by one of her breast implants.

“The benefits of breast augmentation are generally accepted to be on quality of life, as until recently implants had never been considered life-saving,” the doctors reported in a case study published last week.

“Based on trajectory of bullet entry clinically and evaluation radiologically, the only source of bullet deflection of the bullet is the left breast implant. This implant overlies the heart and intrathoracic cavity and therefore likely saved the women’s life,” the report concludes.

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