2,538. A Perforation in the Heart

Hilchos Shechita 6:5

If the animal’s heart is punctured to the inner cavity, the animal is a treifa. This is true of both the large cavity on the left and the small cavity on the right. However, if the flesh of the heart is perforated but the hole doesn’t reach the inner cavity, then the animal remains permitted. The arteries that go from the heart to the lungs are treated like the heart itself; if even the smallest hole reaches its inner cavity, the animal is a treifa.

Hilchos Shechita 6:6

If the gall bladder has been perforated but the liver closed it up, the animal remains permitted. If the hole isn’t sealed, the animal is a treifa even if the hole is near the liver.