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Chronic Nonhealing Wound Due To Iatrogenic Foreign Body- A Case Report
Ashokanand Thakur1, Ankita Sharma1
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, Patna Medical College and Hospital, Patna, Bihar, India.
Insights
A retained surgical sponge, known as gossypiboma or textiloma, was discovered as the cause of a nonhealing wound in a child. This case highlights the importance of considering iatrogenic foreign bodies in wound healing complications.
Area of Science:
- Medical Case Report
- Surgical Complications
- Pediatric Wound Healing
Background:
- Nonhealing wounds can stem from various causes including infection, malignancy, or immunodeficiency.
- Iatrogenic foreign bodies, though less common, are a critical differential diagnosis for persistent wounds.
Abstract:
A 5-year-old male child presented with nonhealing wound on the left scapular region. He had a history of multiple abscesses 8 months back. Incision and drainage were done for all abscesses in the same sitting at another hospital. All wounds healed except one of the scapular regions. The wound was explored and there was large cotton gauze inside the wound. The common causes of nonhealing of wound are tuberculosis, malignancy, and immunodeficiency. However, iatrogenic foreign body is also an important cause and should be considered in differential diagnosis. Careful history, wound examination, and radiological investigations are an important tool for diagnosis of retained foreign bodies. The scientific term for the retained foreign body is gossypiboma or textiloma.

