Fish Hook Removal Emergency

​Geographic location and seasonal variations often dictate the frequency of specific emergencies. I have been impressed over the years how often my geographic location would determine the type of injuries and emergencies that would show up in my emergency department. My two years in Honolulu taught me a lot about illnesses and injuries associated with work and recreation in the Pacific Ocean. Seasonal variations also affect the types of emergencies we see. Fish hook removal injuries are a prime example. Already this spring and summer I have had a number of children present with fish hooks embedded in their flesh so it seems appropriate to review the various techniques described in textbooks and review articles for removing fish hooks. Some techniques are clearly more effective than others.Retrograde TechniqueThis is simply pushing down on the shank and pulling out the hook. It may work with barbless hooks, but isn't very successful for barbed ones.String Pull TechniqueThis is actually a pretty effective technique, and it is reportedly not too painful if done quickly. The shank is again pushed down on the skin, and a string is tied around the bend of the hook. Take precautions not to cause injury to the operator from a flying hook, and then abruptly yank the hook free with the string. The potential for additional tissue injury, however, seems significant.​Needle Cover Barb TechniqueThis technique uses an 18-gauge needle to cover the barb of the hook. Ideally, the hook...
Source: M2E Too! Mellick's Multimedia EduBlog - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs