Special wounds. Nail bed, plantar puncture, and cartilage.

Traumatic wounds are one of the most common problems encountered in the practice of emergency medicine. The literature is replete with articles concerning the evaluation and care of life threatening wounds, but many common non-life threatening injuries have received very little attention. This article focuses on nail bed injuries, plantar puncture wounds, and cartilaginous wounds. Although not immediately life threatening, these injuries may be associated with significant long-term morbidity and, rarely, life threatening sequelae.