Common surgery, uncommon complication.

Area of Science:

• Podiatric Surgery
• Vascular Surgery
• Dermatology

Background:

• Ingrown nail surgery is a common outpatient procedure.
• Patient history and examination are often overlooked.
• Underlying conditions can lead to severe complications from ingrown nails.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report two cases of ingrown nail surgery resulting in amputation.
• To highlight the importance of patient selection and pre-operative assessment.

Main Methods:

• Review of two case reports of ingrown nail surgery with complications.
• Analysis of patient history, including smoking status and underlying diseases.
• Surgical procedure: Winograd's partial matrix excision.

Main Results:

• Two patients required amputation following ingrown nail surgery.
• Both patients were smokers; one had Buerger's disease.
• Smoking and Buerger's disease contributed to poor wound healing and surgical complications.

Conclusions:

• Even minor procedures like ingrown nail surgery require thorough patient evaluation.
• Patient selection, particularly regarding smoking and vascular health, is critical.
• Failure to identify risk factors can lead to severe outcomes such as amputation.