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Cold sensitivity, functional disability and predicting factors after a repaired digital nerve injury
Drifa Frostadottir1,2, Linnéa Ekman3, Malin Zimmerman3,4,5
1Department of Translational Medicine - Hand Surgery, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Jan Waldenströms gata 5, 205 02, Malmö, Sweden. drifa.frostadottir@med.lu.se.
Scientific Reports
|March 23, 2022
Summary
Cold sensitivity is a common issue after digital nerve repair, significantly impacting patient-reported disability. Concomitant injuries, especially multiple ones, predict increased cold sensitivity post-surgery.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Neurosurgery
- Hand Surgery
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Digital nerve injuries are common, often requiring surgical repair.
- Assessing patient-reported outcomes like cold sensitivity and functional disability is crucial for evaluating repair success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and impact of self-reported cold sensitivity and functional disability following repaired digital nerve injuries.
- To identify factors predicting worsened cold sensitivity and functional outcomes post-surgery.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 1553 patients who underwent digital nerve repair, data sourced from the Swedish Hand Surgery Quality Registry (HAKIR).
- Patient-reported outcomes assessed using HQ-8 and QuickDASH questionnaires at 3 and 12 months postoperatively.
- Regression analysis used to identify predictors of cold sensitivity and functional disability, including diabetes status from the Swedish National Diabetes Register (NDR).
Main Results:
- Cold sensitivity was the most prominent symptom reported by patients.
- Flexor tendon injury, hand fracture, and multiple structural injuries predicted significantly worsened cold sensitivity at 12 months.
- Patients with moderate to severe cold sensitivity reported higher functional disability (QuickDASH scores) at both 3 and 12 months.
- Diabetes, flexor tendon injury, and multiple injuries affected functional scores at 3 months but not at 12 months.
Conclusions:
- Cold sensitivity is a prevalent and impactful symptom after digital nerve repair.
- Concomitant injuries, particularly multiple structural damage, are significant predictors of postoperative cold sensitivity.
- Understanding these predictors can help in managing patient expectations and potentially improving surgical outcomes.
