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Evaluation of Pediatric Fingertip Injuries Using Etiology, Demographics and Therapy
Ali Ozgur Karakas1, Erkan Yuce1
1Department of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, Kirikkale University Faculty of Medicine, Kirikkale Yuksek Ihtisas Hospital, Kirikkale, Turkey.
Insights
Pediatric fingertip injuries are common, with boys and younger children most affected by crush injuries, often from doors or windows. Understanding injury causes can help prevent these common childhood hand injuries.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Traumatology
- Hand Surgery
Background:
- Fingertip injuries are a frequent occurrence in childhood, often presenting to emergency departments.
- These injuries can lead to significant functional, aesthetic, and psychological long-term effects for children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the etiology, demographics, treatment, and complications of pediatric fingertip injuries.
- To highlight the prevalence of these injuries and inform the development of preventive strategies.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective review of 354 pediatric patients treated for fingertip injuries over four years.
- Data collected included patient demographics, injury characteristics (hand, finger, mechanism, zone), treatment modalities, and outcomes.
- All interventions were performed under local anesthesia in the emergency department with same-day discharge.
Main Results:
- Boys (54%) were more frequently injured than girls (46%).
- The right hand (65.3%) was more commonly affected, with the middle finger being the most injured (38.4%).
- Crush injuries (83.3%), primarily from fingers trapped in doors or windows, were the most common type, with peak incidence at five years old.
Conclusions:
- Fingertip injuries represent a substantial portion of hand injuries in children.
- These injuries necessitate effective preventive measures informed by understanding their causes and mechanisms.
- Early intervention and knowledge of injury patterns are crucial for managing pediatric fingertip trauma.
Objectives:
In this study, 354 pediatric cases were evaluated and treated at the emergency service department due to fingertip injuries in a four years period. The data were studied using etiology, demographics, treatment and complications. This study aims to draw attention to fingertip injuries that are very common in childhood and to help developing preventive strategies.
Methods:
Of the 354 patients, 191 were boys and 163 were girls. Their ages ranged from six months to 17 years. These patients were studied concerning sex, injured hand and fingers, injury mechanism, injury zone, selected treatment modalities and complications. All interventions were performed under local anesthesia at the emergency service department. Patients were discharged on the same day.
Results:
In our study group, the male patients (54%) were more affected than the girls (46%). It was observed that the right hand (65.3%) was much more vulnerable to the injury than the left hand (34.7%). It was determined that the most injured fingers were middle fingers in the 136 (38.4%) of the patients, followed by the ring finger (33.9%). Injury was most frequent at five years old patient group. The most frequent type of injury was crush type injuries with a rate of 83.3%, and among crush type injuries, the most common mechanism was trapping of fingers in the doors or windows. While many of these injuries required surgical intervention, appropriate patients were treated with wound care and secondary wound healing.
Conclusion:
In childhood, hand injuries are quite frequent and fingertip injuries constitute the majority of these entities. These childhood injuries lead to significant functional, aesthetic and psychological sequelae in these patients. The knowledge about the etiology, distribution and mechanisms of these injuries will enable the development of preventive measures in this regard.
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