Management of fingertip amputations

Injuries to the fingertips are among the most common injuries to the hand and result in approximately 4.8 million emergency department visits per year. Most injuries are lacerations or crushes; amputations represent a small but complex spectrum of injury. Treatments available cover a broad range of techniques with no single recommended reference standard for treatment. Although there is no consensus on how these injuries should be treated, the goals of treatment should include minimization of pain, optimization of healing time, preservation of sensibility and length, prevention of painful neuromas, avoidance or limiting of nail deformity, minimization of time lost from work, and provision of an acceptable cosmetic appearance. In this review we present a variety of options in caring for these injuries to help achieve these goals, and the available data that support the various treatment plans.