Finger Fascination

It’s summertime, and people are spending a lot of time outside in their yards, at the pool, traveling, hiking, and getting their fingers caught in things. That makes it the perfect time for a tribute to finger lacerations, specifically those with nail bed disruption and avulsion.   You will need to do a bit of handy work yourself if you work in an urgent care center that does not have a hand specialist on call 24/7. Finger lacerations can be complicated, but you simply need to keep in mind the basic principles about repair of soft tissue injuries. It is also important to identify tuft fractures and tendon disruption.   Hand injuries are incredibly common and amazingly painful. Sometimes a hand injury can keep someone out of work for several weeks, especially if the patient works in an industrial environment or in areas where he may be exposed to chemicals. Close follow-up is indicated and often times antibiotics are warranted to avoid complications because our hands and fingers are so susceptible to infection. Pediatric hand injuries are even more frustrating for parents and kids alike. We encourage you to read our previous blogs about soft tissue injuries and brush up on the basics. (http://bit.ly/ProceduralPause.)   Finger laceration with nail bed disruption. The proximal base of the nail is totally avulsed (left) and overlying the eponychial fold. The avulsed nail should be replaced anatomically but left attached to the intact nail bed. Credit: Martha Roberts   The...
Source: The Procedural Pause - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs