A foreign body in the blood vessel: A diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma

Foreign body(FB) in soft tissue is a common injury in trauma, but it is rare for FB to enter the blood vessel. Typical causes of intravascular FB include iatrogenic and non-iatrogenic factors.A 65-year-old Chinese worker's left hand was hit by two colliding metal blocks while operating a machine tool. Then, he referred to our hospital's emergency department of orthopedics. The X-rays showed that metal FB could be seen in trapezium bone regions of the left hand. During the operation, the FB was found in the cephalic vein of his left hand, so the FB was removed by surgery. After six weeks of follow-up, he has returned to normal working conditions.The purpose of this article is to describe the diagnosis and treatment of a rare condition in the emergency department. In our emergency work, it is easy to miss the diagnosis of intravascular FB caused by trauma. To our knowledge, this is the third reported intravascular FB caused by trauma and the first reported intravascular FB was located in the vein of the hand. Detailed medical history and auxiliary examinations are the key to the diagnosis of FB in the blood vessels.