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Small metal fragments can be extremely hard to find in a wound. A device exists which works in the same way as metal detectors used for finding pipes in walls and coins in the ground. The normal form of the instrument is a small suitcase unit with a long probe which can be placed very close to the wound, or a sterile latex sheath or finger from a surgical glove can be placed over the tip so that it may be allowed to touch the open wound.
The approach to a metal fragment is usually indicated by a change in pitch of a tone produced by the instrument. Such an instrument would be found in the casualty department.
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