title: My patient is injured: identifying foreign bodies with ultrasound.
abstract: Patients commonly present to the emergency department with a suspected retained foreign body, following penetrating injury. While plain radiography is often the first line in identifying radio-opaque foreign bodies, radiolucent foreign bodies such as wood and plastic can easily be missed. Furthermore, real-time visualization of such a foreign body can assist in its removal. This article evaluates the use of point-of-care ultrasound by emergency physicians in the identification and removal of soft-tissue foreign bodies along with describing the appropriate technique and highlighting the potential pitfalls. An illustrated case example is presented that highlights the benefits of point-of-care ultrasound foreign body detection and guided removal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie University, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; Discipline of Emergency Medicine, Memorial University, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; Department of Emergency Medicine, Horizon Health Network, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Aman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jivraj
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie University, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; Discipline of Emergency Medicine, Memorial University, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; Department of Emergency Medicine, Horizon Health Network, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jarman
keywords: Interventional ultrasound; education; foreign body; point-of-care ultrasound