Although, in the nonbiological class, common splinters contracted are glass, metal, aluminum, fishhooks, pencil graphite, and plastic.

Common cases of exotic foreign bodies include sea urchins, insect stings, stingray spines, and even grenade shrapnel.

If manual detection and localization fail, the main methods for medical imaging of splinters are: Small wooden splinters (1–4 mm) distant from bones are most easily detected by ultrasonography, while CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging have higher sensitivity for those near bones.

Infection is usually determined by the duration of time that the foreign object remains lodged in the human body.

Objects that have included poison, deep penetration, dirt, or bite injuries generally result in a shorter time until infection is notable.

According to the AAFP, patients that are older, or have diabetes, or have wounds that are longer, wider, more jagged or deeper, have a much higher risk of infection.

Not long after a preliminary checkup, a wood splinter was found to have been lodged in her chin for approximately 1 week; the area was erythematous with active purulent drainage.

Despite aggressive treatment, including assisted mechanical ventilation, the patient died 15 days later from the effects of her primary infection.