Skin Coverage Considerations in a Mutilating Hand Injury

The foremost goal of managing a mutilated hand is provision of adequate skin coverage. The most suitable method is free tissue transfer. The specific role of volar surface requires replacement tissue to have similar texture for aesthetically satisfactory and functionally acceptable outcomes. Hand surgeons must approach mutilating hand injuries with the recognition that no 2 injuries are ever the same. The injured hand must be evaluated on the individual demand and characteristics of hand use. Optimal function and aesthetic outcomes require appropriate selection of skin coverage. Lost tissues must be replaced like with like tissue.