Foreign Bodies

Common foreign bodies include:

¨ Gravel, dirt and wood

¨ Glass from windscreen lacerations or assaults

¨ Plastic from car components

¨ Metal projectile fragments

 

Management:

¨ Explore all wounds with a sterile probe and take relevant soft-tissue radiographs. Some glass is radio-opaque

¨ If there is any suggestion of ocular involvement, immediately ask an ophthalmologist to see the patient

¨ Retain all foreign bodies; they may be of forensic value in subsequent litigation.                                                                                                       

See   Special Wounds