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. 2020 Sep 11;54(3):306-312.
doi: 10.14744/SEMB.2018.82788. eCollection 2020.

Evaluation of Pediatric Fingertip Injuries Using Etiology, Demographics and Therapy

Ali Ozgur Karakas  1 , Erkan Yuce  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of Pediatric Fingertip Injuries Using Etiology, Demographics and Therapy

Ali Ozgur Karakas et al. Sisli Etfal Hastan Tip Bul. .

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, 354 pediatric cases were evaluated and treated at the emergency service department due to fingertip injuries in a four years period. The data were studied using etiology, demographics, treatment and complications. This study aims to draw attention to fingertip injuries that are very common in childhood and to help developing preventive strategies.

Methods: Of the 354 patients, 191 were boys and 163 were girls. Their ages ranged from six months to 17 years. These patients were studied concerning sex, injured hand and fingers, injury mechanism, injury zone, selected treatment modalities and complications. All interventions were performed under local anesthesia at the emergency service department. Patients were discharged on the same day.

Results: In our study group, the male patients (54%) were more affected than the girls (46%). It was observed that the right hand (65.3%) was much more vulnerable to the injury than the left hand (34.7%). It was determined that the most injured fingers were middle fingers in the 136 (38.4%) of the patients, followed by the ring finger (33.9%). Injury was most frequent at five years old patient group. The most frequent type of injury was crush type injuries with a rate of 83.3%, and among crush type injuries, the most common mechanism was trapping of fingers in the doors or windows. While many of these injuries required surgical intervention, appropriate patients were treated with wound care and secondary wound healing.

Conclusion: In childhood, hand injuries are quite frequent and fingertip injuries constitute the majority of these entities. These childhood injuries lead to significant functional, aesthetic and psychological sequelae in these patients. The knowledge about the etiology, distribution and mechanisms of these injuries will enable the development of preventive measures in this regard.

Keywords: Amputation; composite graft; fingertip; reconstruction.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Fingertip zones according to Ishikawa classification.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of patients by age and sex.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of injuries by hand side and fingers.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Distribution of hand injury mechanisms by sex.
Figure 5 (a-c)
Figure 5 (a-c)
The 17-year-old male patient repaired with a composite graft
Figure 6 (a-c)
Figure 6 (a-c)
The 15-year-old female patient who underwent full-thickness skin graft repair.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Distribution of treatment methods according to finger injury mechanism.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Distribution of treatment methods by injury zone.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Distribution of complications according to treatment methods.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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