Has Anyone Died from a Splinter?

Occasionally, however, they can become dangerous. Even fatal. So should a splinter lodge itself under the skin, it's always a good idea to remove it as quickly as possible. Before we all lose our heads, though, it's worth noting that death by splinter is nearly never fatal in these modern times.

Can a splinter in your hand kill you?

Splinters aren't deadly in and of themselves. Neither really are blisters, scratches, or other seemingly superficial assaults on our skin. But these nicks allow for something much deadlier to make entry into our otherwise sealed-off selves: Harmful bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus or Group A strep.

Can a splinter stay in your skin forever?

Sometimes the body can naturally expel a splinter from the skin without causing an inflammatory response, Biehler said. Other times, the splinter may stay in the skin forever. Biehler noted that one of his nurse friends has had an inch-long thorn in her hand for the past 40 years.