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.