Treatment of Fingertip Amputations with Bone Exposure: A Comparative Study between Surgical and Conservative Treatment Methods

Abstract

The long-term results following 36 surgically and 34 conservatively treated fingertip amputations with bone exposure are presented in a retrospective study. Surgery did not produce better results even though it was performed by skilled hand surgeons. The advantages of the conservative (mainly adhesive zinc tape) treatment method are pointed out. The regenerative capacity of the amputated fingertip is shown and discussed.

Secondary Healing of Fingertip Amputations: A Review

“…In contrast, Soderberg et al [29] reported 11 cases of infection in a series of 36 fingertip amputations treated surgically. Chow and Ho [6] reported 17 % infection incidence in their retrospective comparison of surgically treated fingertips.…”

“…The most commonly reported mean time to complete healing using conservative wound care alone was 4 weeks [6,23,27,29]. Small defects (<1 cm) with no bone involvement were frequently healed within 2 weeks [9,22,23,31].…”

“…STSG also requires trimming of bone length for graft take [29]. Although they have improved skin quality compared to the STSG, FTSG can also lead to tenderness and unstable skin coverage.…”

“…In many fingertip injuries and amputations, primary closure requires significant bone shortening and mobilization of soft tissue in order to close the defect. Due to the shorter length, pinch grip strength and fine motor activities including picking up small objects is diminished [12,29].…”

“…Cold intolerance frequently resolved by 1 year and caused disability in only a small minority of patients [24]. Cold intolerance is also not limited to secondary healing and was prevalent in studies using skin graft and flap coverage [23,29].…”