Lunch Box Penetrating Injury in the Craniofacial Region Impedes the Primary Airway Management and Surgical Intervention

Abstract

Penetrating Cranio-Maxillofacial trauma obscuring the clear view of the face in addition to an impediment to emergency airway management has been a rare occurrence in the archives of emergency trauma. A four-year-old girl reported to the emergency following a lunch box sharp rim penetrating wound to her left supraorbital region, limiting the access and clear view of her face. CT scan ruled out the serious orbital injury, but clearly revealed the piercing of the brain matter in the frontal region. The toddler’s golden hour of primary management was spent in the darkness with the lunch box covering her entire face, obstructing the basic intubation methods required for primary airway management. Interpretation of the radiological investigations necessitated the multiple collaboration of the neurosurgery and maxillofacial surgeons, planning a systematic recovery of the foreign body without any major complications. Follow-up period was uneventful with no neurological and major cosmetic deficits.