A 28-year-old woman, a nursing assistant, who comes to the Emergency Trauma Service because she reports that two days ago she begins with pain in the patellar region of the right knee, which underestimates the mobilization of the joint.
Physical examination revealed an erythematous lesion in the right subpatellar region, with pain on palpation and a small contuse-section wound of few millimeters in length.
Active and passive mobilization is partially limited by pain, with no other accompanying symptoms.
The worker reported that in childhood she had an osteochondroma in the same knee, currently healed and without sequelae, performing the last control X-ray two months ago, which was completely normal.
The worker related this episode to a work accident suffered two days ago, in which while carrying a box with 32 mercury thermometers in his hand, he slipped and fell to the ground.
Some mercury thermometers fell on his right knee and produced a contuse-insert wound, which we still observed in the exploration in a state of healing.
The nursing assistant acknowledges that she had overload in her job.
The box in which the thermometers were carried was not closed, the worker did not wear gloves and the working clothes were not removed after the occupational accident.
Subsequently, no hygienic-sanitary measures were taken and no adequate action was taken against mercury spills.
In the emergency department, the next step was to perform a radiograph of the knee, objectifying a metallic foreign body in bursa, corresponding to mercury.
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After the diagnosis of chemical bursitis due to mercury, and taking into account the toxicity of the metal, the extraction of the bursa worker was urgently performed in the operating room under fluoroscopy to avoid the rest.
Currently, the assistant does not have any sequel and is fully recovered from his injury.
