Abstract
A 6-year-old boy is admitted to a university medical center emergency room. He has fallen on his head and a metal sprinkler spike has penetrated his skull. The spike enters the head at an angle in the left temporal region, just above his ear. The length of the spike is 6–8 in. It is sticking straight back extending from his occipital region by at least 2 in. The computed tomography (CT) scan shows the spike is about 1 in. inside the brain. The child is lying on his right side, as the spike prevents him from lying flat or on his left side.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Rafique MB, Nesselrode R, De Armendi AJ. Difficult airway due to sprinkler spike in the head. Pediatr Anesth. 2008;18:891–2.
Buley RJR, Downing JW, Brock-Utne JG, Cuerden C. Right versus left lateral tilt for Caesarean section. Br J Anaesth. 1977;49:1009–14.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Brock-Utne, J.G. (2013). Case 58: A Sprinkler Spike Lodged in a Patient’s Head. In: Near Misses in Pediatric Anesthesia. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7040-3_58
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7040-3_58
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7039-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7040-3
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)