Residual foreign body in the neck after trauma results in the delayed rupture of the common carotid and internal jugular vein: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Trauma and foreign body residue occurring in different settings are common in the neck. Some small injuries go unrecognized, and vascular injuries caused by the sharp penetrating trauma of a foreign body are very dangerous. Without early diagnosis and treatment, foreign body residue remains a major cause of mortality. CASE PRESENTATION: A six-cm piece of wooden chopstick was not initially detected in the neck of a 24-year-old Chinese man presenting with a slight bleeding wound after a brawl accident. Three days later, the patient had an expanding neck hematoma and shortness of breath. Computed tomography revealed a dense shadow in the soft tissue of the left side of the patient’s neck, and surgical exploration found that a residual broken chopstick had resulted in a delayed rupture of the common carotid artery and internal jugular vein. CONCLUSION: A residual foreign body should be seriously considered after neck trauma because it can result in a lethal hemorrhage originating from a delayed rupture of blood vessels.