Needle in a haystack: a case report of splenic foreign body-associated sepsis

Instances of foreign bodies impacted in solid organs are rare, and rarer still are reports of objects in the spleen. A 42-year-old presented septic with abdominal pain, high inflammatory markers and haemodynamic instability. She was found to have a splenic haematoma and a 4-cm hyperdense foreign body within the spleen. Ultrasound-guided drainage of the haematoma isolated Streptococcus anginosus and conservative management with intravenous antibiotics avoided the need for emergency splenectomy. The bacterium isolated was the same cultured 9 months previously from the patient’s empyema fluid. The origin of the foreign body was not identified, though is made of metal and pre-dates any hospital admissions. The case raised the question of how an object might penetrate the spleen without knowledge of the patient and highlighted the risks of foreign body-associated sepsis, the risks and benefits of emergency splenectomy and management of complex cases with paucity of evidence.