Unusual Foreign Body Secondary to Nail Injury

To the Editor.— A 16-year-old boy was seen on July 26, 1974, with a history of having stepped on a large nail 30 minutes before examination. The patient was wearing tennis shoes at the time of the accident. Examination showed a puncture wound of the sole of the right foot, posterior and medial to the right great toe. The wound extended almost entirely through his foot. The skin of the dorsal aspect of the foot showed a 4-mm, erythematous, slightly distended area, medial to and posterior to the right great toe. Bleeding from the sole of the foot was minimal. Tetanus toxoid was given, and penicillin and a mixture of tetracycline hydrochloride and nystatin (Achrostatin) were prescribed. Within six hours, there was marked swelling of the entire foot that continued for one week. Antibiotics were administered for ten days. At the end of seven days, a small, hemorrhagic, 3-mm protrusion