RT Book, Section
A1 Murray, David
A1 Chun, Laura
A1 Amin, Dhara Patel
A2 Reichman, Eric F.
SR Print(0)
ID 1159803014
T1 Subcutaneous Foreign Body Identification and Removal
T2 Reichman's Emergency Medicine Procedures, 3e
YR 2018
FD 2018
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781259861925
LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1159803014
RD 2024/10/16
AB Wounds  with  a  retained  foreign  body  (FB)  are  a  frequent  presenting  complaint  to  Emergency  Departments.  It  is  important  to  identify  and  remove  debris  and  FBs  to  promote  optimal  healing.  The  presence  of  a  FB  may  not  be  obvious.  Up  to  38%  of  embedded  objects  are  missed  on  the  initial  assessment  and  many  of  these  are  frequently  missed  because  imaging  was  not  performed  at  that  time.1The  presence  of  an  unrecognized  FB  can  lead  to  infection,  joint  injury,  loss  of  function,  osteomyelitis,  pain,  tendon  rupture,  tenosynovitis,  and  vascular  injury.2-7  Chronic  FBs  may  lead  to  the  formation  of  pyogenic  granulomas.8  Certain  soft  tissue  FBs  have  the  capacity  to  migrate  great  distances  months  to  years  after  the  original  injury,  leading  to  increased  morbidity  and  mortality  from  what  originally  was  a  benign  FB.9Assess  patients  presenting  with  chronic,  recurrent,  or  delayed  skin  infections  for  the  presence  of  an  unrecognized  FB.  Failure  to  diagnose  and  treat  a  FB  is  a  common  cause  of  litigation  against  Emergency  Physicians.A  high  index  of  suspicion  and  careful  methodical  examination,  including  appropriate  imaging,  must  be  undertaken  to  identify  a  FB.