Radial Artery Compression with Threatened Transection: Catfish Injury in a Pediatric Patient

Marine animal injuries are rare causes of emergency room visits and vascular injuries worldwide. Penetrating injuries from marine animals risk damage to vasculature, and physicians must be alert to such possibilities. We report a 7-year-old boy with penetrating trauma and retained foreign body in the forearm from a catfish injury. Initial imaging suggested transection of the radial artery, but on exposure in a controlled setting the foreign body was found to compress the artery without any vascular injury. No vascular repair was needed after foreign body removal.