A knife blade retained in the axillary hole

Introduction: The finding of a retained foreign body, specifically a knife blade, is a rare event. Sometimes these foreign bodies go unnoticed and are diagnosed deferred or delayed. Objective: To describe the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with a knife blade retained on axillary hole. Clinical case: 25-year-old male, attacked with a knife, who suffered a wound in the posterior region of the shoulder and was sutured without performing any complementary examination. Two weeks later, he came due to discomfort from the injured shoulder. An X-ray of the shoulder was indicated, where a radiopaque image appeared that corresponds to the knife blade, in subscapular projection. He refers shoulder discomfort and functional impotence. It is operated under general anesthesia, axillary incision, the object is identified in intimate contact with the axillary vein, the tip towards the axillary vertex, crossing under the axillary vein at its entrance to the thorax, the foreign body is removed under direct vision and without complications. Evolved favorably. Conclusions: Retained foreign bodies that go unnoticed are rare. However, there are regions such as the armpit where, due to the anatomical characteristics of the space, their diagnosis is difficult. In this case, an unusual combination of phenomena coincided, the defensive attitude of the injured person and the direction of the lunge, which led to the blade remaining in the axillary hole

Fecal impaction by Spiny Monkey-orange seeds

Introduction: Fecal impaction is characterized by the presence of compact feces in the rectum or colon, which cannot be evacuated. Eating the fruit of the Spiny Monkey-orange tree (Strychnos spinosa Lam), which contains numerous seeds, is a dietary habit in some African countries. Objective: To describe the particularities of the diagnosis and treatment of fecal impaction due to the ingestion of Spiny Monkey-orange seeds. Clinical case: 12-year-old male, who ingested a large quantity of Spiny Monkey-orange seeds; he couldn't defecate or pass gas; She had abdominal and anal pain. Physical examination revealed tachycardia, abdominal distension, and increased air-fluid noises. A rectal examination revealed impaction with a stony consistency. When the extraction was not possible, in the emergency room, the fecal mass was fragmented and extracted, through the anus, with anesthetic sedation. Conclusions: The ingestion of Spiny Monkey-orange seeds is a dietary habit in Africa and the bezoars or fecal impaction that this habit can produce are not considered a health problem. For the diagnosis it is necessary the antecedent of the ingestion of the fruit, to carry out an exhaustive physical examination of the abdominal and anorectal regions and finally, the extraction of the fecal mass