title: Hypodermic needles in the neuropathic foot of a patient with diabetes.
abstract: A 54-year-old woman with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, diabetic neuropathy, neuropathic arthropathy of the feet and a plantar ulcer underwent plain radiography, which showed 2 clipped-off hypodermic needles, of which she had been unaware, in the soft tissue of one foot. This previously unreported complication is clinically instructive in that it demonstrates the importance of counselling patients about the protection of insensitive extremities. This case also has public health implications, suggesting as it does that the still-common practice of breaking hypodermic needles before disposal should be strongly discouraged.
authors.affiliation: Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS.
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Woolfrey
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Kirby
mesh_terms: D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D018409:Foot Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016523:Foot Ulcer / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous / Q000295:instrumentation*; D007328:Insulin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D011859:Radiography; D012307:Risk Factors; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin