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Removing foreign objects from patients: The myths we are often told
By Dr Zulfikar Bux
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
There are often cases carried in the media where patients and relatives complain bitterly of doctors not removing foreign bodies from them right away. A picture of cruelty by the physician is usually painted and we all go away with the wrong
Dr Zulfikar Bux
message. Movies sensationalize the notion of “removing the bullet and saving the life” to the point where it is an expected norm by society. As it turns out, removing the bullet is not the main goal when you are trying to save someone who is shot. Attempting to remove foreign objects stuck in ones tissue can be more dangerous than thought. Today I wish to debunk some myths associated with foreign bodies stuck in tissues.
The Bullet must be removed
Removing the bullet in a person who is shot is not the action that saves their life. It’s the meticulous team work of consummate professionals who respond with many life saving interventions too numerous to mention. If we find the bullet during surgery then we will take it out but the main goal is to repair the damage it caused when it was active. Bullets are sometimes lodged in complex parts of patients and searching for it may cause more harm than good for the patient. If it’s left in our body, our tissues will encase it leaving little to no room for any complication.
The object can travel through your blood and kill you
At times objects such as metal, glass or wood are lodged in patients’ tissues and their main worry is that it will travel through their blood to their heart. Our body will either push these objects out or wall it off with tissues. There is no chance of a foreign body lodged in someone traveling up to their heart and we should not let such thoughts overcome us.
The foreign body can slow poison you
Bullets, everyday metals and glass usually do not release any chemicals that can poison us. The most common complication usually comes from wood and debris particles which can cause a localized infection that is easily treated. We should not worry that our body will be poisoned slowly by a foreign body that is lodged in our tissues.
Every foreign object needs to be removed right away
If a decision is made to remove a foreign object lodged in a patient tissue, it is usually a planned surgery after careful examination of xrays, ultrasounds and scans of the foreign object. There is more risk involved in removing the object as the chance of injuring important nerves, blood vessels and organs is always present. It is therefore advised that such surgery be planned properly to minimize risk to the patient. This is one instant where emergency surgery is not the best and first option.
Remember Doctors put screw and plate in us all the time
Putting foreign body like screws and metal plate in persons is a daily occurrence and an art that has helped so many patients with broken bones. Orthopedic doctors do this daily during important surgeries to help patients that have broken bones that cannot heal properly by themselves. These patients live for years and lifetimes with screws and plate in their body without any problems. These plate and screw are of similar composition to the regular screws and metals used to make other products.
Medicine is an art that can only be fully understood by trained medical professionals. Movies, media and hearsay will never be able to depict this art of practice as accurate and appropriate as the ones practicing it. The myths about foreign bodies have caused unnecessary hype in our society. Both physicians and patients need to improve their communication with each other. Otherwise we will continue to have theories and myths of medicine that are sensationalized in the media and cause unnecessary public anxiety.
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