Nail embolization to the femoral artery.
Modern air-nailing tools are known to cause penetrating trauma. We report the unusual case of a pneumatically fired carpenter's nail that penetrated the chest of a 30-year-old man and subsequently embolized from the heart to the left femoral artery without clinical evidence of having entered the heart. The nail was surgically removed, and the patient was discharged from hospital without sequelae after 10 days. This case and the relevant literature are discussed from the perspective of the emergency department investigation and care of such patients.
Baw
Bandar
B
Department of Emergency Medicine, King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. malsalamah@gawab.com
Al-Salamah
Majid A
MA
Al-Hodaib
Abdullah
A
Wadams
Heather
H