Glass Foreign Body in Laceration
Case #121
A 35-year-old man presented to the ED with a laceration.
He had fallen while carrying a glass.
The glass broke and caused a 4cm right forearm laceration.
A resident saw the patient.
He had a normal neurovascular exam.
The laceration was irrigated and repaired.
Several months later the patient noticed weakness and paresthesias of his right hand.
He was seen by a hand surgeon.
The surgeon recommended a surgical exploration of the area of the laceration.
A glass fragment was discovered.
The patient was left with permanent dysfunction of his right hand.
The patient hired an attorney and sued the hospital.
They offered to settle for $95,000.
The 2 sides reached a confidential settlement in 2020.
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MedMalReviewer Analysis:
Lacerations caused by broken glass are notorious for containing foreign bodies. There was no x-ray obtained at the initial visit, which may have avoided this outcome. Here’s an excellent (and brief) review of glass foreign bodies: https://jetem.org/glass_foreignbody/
The plaintiffs sued the hospital rather than the resident, which is the appropriate legal maneuver. Residents should not be named as defendants in medical malpractice lawsuits except in rare circumstances.