Your Patient Is an 8-Year-Old Boy with a Pencil Impaled

Multiple Choice

Your patient is an 8-year-old boy with a pencil impaled 2 centimeters inferior to the xiphoid process. You note that the pencil is pulsating. Which of the following is the best action?

A) Start an IV and request orders for analgesia and sedation.
B) Remove the pencil and apply direct pressure to the wound; transport to a trauma center if the bleeding does not stop with direct pressure.
C) Stabilize the pencil in place and transport to a trauma center.
D) Stabilize the pencil in place and transport to the nearest medical facility.