Case

A patient is transported into Shock Trauma with a knitting needle impaling their neck, anterior to posterior, at a position one inch lateral to the sternoclavicular joint and one inch superior to the upper margin of the clavicle.

Question 2/2 - Which structure are you most concerned about?

Click on your selected option(s) below  (correct = 1,  possible = 3, over-thinking = 4+)

Case Complete

Incorrect. Although you may get bleeding from injury to the gland, this would not be a risk of exsanguination (death through loss of blood) and the gland has distributed function, such that other uninjured regions of the gland provide full functions that the body needs.  

Incorrect. A small penetrating injury to a muscle is unlikely to significantly affect muscle function. Small muscle injuries heal readily with rarely any long term effects (we'll talk about chronic issues with muscular injury in the MS2 Skin, Bones and Musculature course).

Correct! The common carotid artery is a major vessel that if penetrated could result in life threatening bleeding. The presence of the knitting needle in the neck may be 'plugging' the artery, so removal of the needle should occur in the operating room such that any consequences can be rapidly addressed operatively.