Abstract
BackgroundTrauma to the hand is common and potentially serious, impairing daily living and general quality of life. Patients are often unable to work for several months, with hand function improving only gradually. Here, we review the epidemiology of hand injuries treated at a tertiary referral hospital in Warsaw, Poland.Material and methodsIn this single-centre, retrospective study, we reviewed medical records of patients presenting to the A&E Unit of the Plastic Surgery Department, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, Poland, between January 2001 and December 2005. We assessed a number of patient and injury characteristics, including severity, scored with the Hand Injury Severity Scoring System (HISS), and time off work.ResultsOf 1091 patients with a hand injury, 84% were male and over half were under the age of 40 years. Hand injury commonly resulted in tendon damage (56.1%), especially to finger flexors (79%), and in skin loss (37.8%). Amputations occurred in 24.1% of cases, while fractures (9.6%) and nerve (6.1%) or joint (5.5%) damage were less common. HISS-graded injury severity was moderate in 28.6% of cases, over half of the patients suffered severe (25.5%) or major (26.5%) injuries, and minor injuries were relatively uncommon (19.4%).ConclusionsAmongst patients admitted to our Department, the most common injuries were tendon damage, skin loss, and amputations. Over half of the patients presented with severe or major injuries and took six months or longer to return to work, suggesting they were likely to face substantial social and economic consequences of their injury.Level of evidenceIV: retrospective series.
Highlights
Traumatic hand injury is common, causing 6.6–28.6% [1,2,3,4] of Accident and Emergency (A&E) visits
Given the clinical and economic importance of reconstructive treatment in this setting, we aimed to describe the epidemiology of hand injuries encountered in the Warsaw region of Poland, based on the records of patients presenting to the A&E Unit at a specialist Plastic Surgery Department
Over the five-year study period, 1091 patients presented with a hand injury at the A&E Unit of our Department; 84% of them were male
Summary
Traumatic hand injury is common, causing 6.6–28.6% [1,2,3,4] of Accident and Emergency (A&E) visits. In a study of 91 patients treated operatively for a hand disorder or injury, the median time to return to work was 10.5 weeks; more than half of the patients took longer than 10 weeks to return to work, and 9% took over a year [8]. Material and methods In this single-centre, retrospective study, we reviewed medical records of patients presenting to the A&E Unit of the Plastic Surgery Department, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education in Warsaw, Poland, between January 2001 and December 2005. Conclusions Amongst patients admitted to our Department, the most common injuries were tendon damage, skin loss, and amputations. Over half of the patients presented with severe or major injuries and took six months or longer to return to work, suggesting they were likely to face substantial social and economic consequences of their injury.
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