Traumatic fixation of the hip by a bolt fired from a bolt gun

A 25-year-old building worker was struck in the left hip by a 12.7-cm long bolt fired from a bolt gun. The bolt penetrated deeply into the pelvis, through the acetabulum, the joint cavity and the head of the femur leading to fixation of the hip. In spite of immediate extraction of the nail, cleansing, immobilization, antibiotics and tetanus prophylaxis, the wound became infected. The tips of the modern types of nails used in nail guns may be coated with a plastic material which can constitute a troublesome foreign body if left behind, because the nail is merely extracted without opening and exploring the track.