Secondary intention healing for fingertip amputation with exposed bone

Area of Science:

• Hand surgery
• Regenerative medicine
• Trauma care

Background:

• Fingertip amputations with exposed bone present a reconstructive challenge.
• Secondary intention healing offers a conservative management option.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of secondary intention healing for fingertip amputations with exposed bone.
• To analyze the correlation between injury severity (Allen classification) and treatment outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 40 patients with Allen types 2-4 fingertip amputations.
• Treatment involved a multi-layer moist dressing protocol.
• Outcomes assessed using the Fingertip Injuries Outcome Score (FIOS) after 6 months.

Main Results:

• Mean FIOS score was 15.08, with 75% achieving good or excellent results.
• A strong positive correlation (r=0.80, p<0.001) was found between Allen classification and FIOS scores.
• Average healing time was ~4 weeks, with low infection (5%) and surgical intervention (2.5%) rates.

Conclusions:

• Secondary intention healing is effective for exposed bone fingertip amputations (Allen types 2-3).
• While outcomes correlate with injury severity, they remain acceptable even for more severe cases.
• This method provides a viable, low-complication treatment option.