Hand High Pressure Injury

Excerpt

High-pressure injection injuries are one of several orthopedic injuries that require urgent evaluation and treatment. Notoriously, these injuries appear to be benign puncture wounds at initial presentation. However, the zone of injury can extend subcutaneously from the tip of the finger to the mediastinum and have catastrophic effects on the affected extremity. Although relatively rare, high-pressure injection injury is well-described in the current literature, with the first case report dating back to 1937. Patients often present for evaluation at trauma centers, but this is not exclusive. This article provides an overview of the injury and the current literature on management and prognostic factors.