Foreign bodies in the hand in children

Foreign bodies in the hand in children are best managed when the surgeon has a well-organized approach to the total problem. The procedure of restraining a child, infiltrating the wound with local anesthetic, and probing the wound deep in the hand on the day of injury to remove the foreign body is discouraged. A detailed examination of the hand for cut tendons and nerves should be done. The initial treatment should be thorough cleaning of the skin, application of compresses wet with Bunnell's hand solution, systemic antibiotics, and tetanus prophylaxis. The foreign body is removed, as an elective surgical procedure, only if there is evidence of infection or persistent pain or both. Six weeks after all evidence of infection has cleared appropriate reconstructive procedures can be done.