Management of Allen type III nail bed injuries and distal phalangeal fractures with and without fixation

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For combined nail bed injuries and distal phalangeal fractures, fixation may be indicated when there is fracture instability and if a K-wire can be successfully placed in the fracture fragments. We determined the outcomes when these criteria were applied for patients with Allen type III injuries without substantial tissue loss. We retrospectively analyzed 57 patients who had surgery for nail bed injuries with distal phalangeal fractures between October 2017 and January 2020. All patients underwent anatomical nail bed repair, and some had fracture fixation, according to specific surgical criteria. We obtained data about demographic and clinical characteristics, postoperative radiographs, complications, range of motion, and satisfaction. To achieve our primary objective, we evaluated the patient population as a whole. The median follow-up was 12 months (range, 7–21). After 90 days, all 57 patients achieved satisfactory fracture union, 54 (95%) had excellent range of motion, and 54 (95%) were either satisfied or very satisfied with the outcome. Though 6 (10%) patients had residual fracture displacement, none had complications. In patients with Allen type III fingertip injuries without substantial tissue loss, anatomical nail bed repair and triage of patients to fixation or no fixation are likely to result in excellent functional outcomes and high patient satisfaction. However, fixation can neither be recommended nor rejected for these injuries based on this study alone.Level of evidence: IV.