Fishhook Removal
From Guide to YKHC Medical Practices
(written by Dr. Travis Nelson)
Not surprisingly, this is a common procedure at YKHC and is often addressed via RMT.
There are multiple strategies for removing fishhooks.
- My favorite is the push-through method:
- use lidocaine to numb an area adjacent to the fishhook
- push the hook through the anesthetized region until the barb is visible
- cut the barb off with nail scissors or bone cutters
- back the fishhook through the entrance wound.
- (This is a simple technique that does not require technical proficiency and can be performed by CHAs.)
- string-yank technique, in which a line is attached to the hook to guide removal,
- needle-cover technique, in which an 18-gauge hypodermic needle is used to cover the barb of the fishhook.
- retrograde technique, in which the fishhook is simply backed out in-plane to its angle of entry