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em@3am

EM@3AM: Impaled Objects

A 60-year-old female presents to the ED with an impaled object in her arm. She stabbed herself in the left arm as an act of self-harm, prior to calling EMS. The object was wrapped in gauze by EMS. On ED evaluation, she is stable and alert and oriented. On your primary and secondary evaluation, there is only one injury. Under extensive gauze wrapping, there is a large, serrated knife impaled in the distal aspect of the left flexor forearm. It is superficial and can be easily palpated along the skin. There are no other injuries identified on primary and secondary surveys. She is neurovascularly intact. What is the next step in your evaluation and management?