Finger amputations in Tanzania

A survey of finger amputations carried out at Dodoma Regional Hospital, has shown that from 1983 to 1991, a total of 147 amputations have been done on 101 patients. They have been performed, mostly for causes that relate quite well with the living and working conditions of the inhabitants of Dodoma Region. Western causes of finger amputations have been responsible of ablation in a few patients in our series. Finger infection, usually with bone involvement, has been found to be the leading cause, followed by traumatic injuries, human bites and burns. Most patients were peasants, with a good number of illiterates among them, drawn from rural areas. They came late to hospital having been improperly managed in the early stages of the diseases. All these factors explain quite well why finger infections were, on admission, irrecoverable through medical means.