CASE PRESENTATION
A 54-year-old lady, with no significant pre-existing medical
comorbidities, was brought in by ambulance to the emergency department
of our district general hospital after falling from a stepladder onto
the metallic base/ stem of a half dismantled artificial Christmas tree
while removing Christmas decorations in her home.
She arrived lying prone, with approximately 50 cm of the metallic stem
and base-plate (diameter approximately 60 cm) protruding inferiorly and
laterally from her right buttock, near the gluteal fold. She was
conscious, communicating normally and haemodynamically stable.
Intravenous access had been established by the ambulance crew, and
opiate analgesia given. She had her arms around a pillow, and did not
have a cervical collar on. There was a small amount of congealed blood
around the entry wound. A careful abdominal and perineal examination was
performed, including per rectum and per vagina digital exams. Accepting
the limitations due to the patient’s prone position, and the desire not
to move or dislodge the foreign body, all examinations were
unremarkable.