Foreign bodies

Abstract

In medical practice, the appearance of clinical pictures that do not present ad initium their typical features rather showing up in successive episodes of illness is somehow frequent. If these happen to be serious ones, they tend to drive patients straight to hospital emergency rooms where a prismatic sight of the situation is very difficult. The case of a 71 year old man without relevant former past history of disease and of frequent health care use is reported; during a three month period this man seeks urgent consultations for ten times (six of which in a hospital emergency room), being admitted to the hospital three times and submitted, in an one week period, to two urgent major surgical procedures. Last, but not the least, an infection of the wound complicates the last procedure, keeping him for a further three month period under the regular surveillance of primary care nurses. The report of this case, that crosses several health departments, aims to reveal every face of a reality which is partially hidden in the successive urgent episodes, making way for a reflection and a much needed change in attitudes.