Nail re-growth in fingertip injuries

One hundred and fifty-five fingertip injuries were treated over a one-year period. Seventy-six patients with 90 fingertip injuries attended for follow-up. Sixty-four of these injuries were suitable for study. In ten cases, the nail was either trimmed and left in-situ, or cleaned and replaced (Group A). In the remaining 54 cases, the nail was either missing, or had been removed at operation (Group B). The two groups were compared in terms of nail re-growth and nail appearance, but no statistically significant difference was found. There was a direct correlation between final outcome and the degree of crush injury. We conclude that it is the severity of the original injury and the accuracy of the primary repair of the nailbed which are the main determinants of the outcome of a nailbed injury. Non-replacement of the nail did not appear to adversely affect nail re-growth and nail appearance.