Hand injuries. Case material from 2 casualty departments at Odense and Aabenraa
Jørgensen, H.R.; Elberg, J.J.; Larsen, C.F.
Ugeskrift for Laeger 149(15): 1017-1020
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-5782 PMID: 3576802 Document Number: 290934
A review of acute hand injuries is presented. This is based on treatment of 8,780 and 1,134 patients from the casualty departments of Odense and Aabenraa Hospitals, respectively. Differences in the incidences in the two regions were observed (between 37,300 and 18,000 injured per 106 population per annum but the results coincided in other respects). Hand injuries constituted one fourth of all the injuries treated in the casualty departments and with great preponderance of men (65% men, 35% women). The age group 15-29 years constituted a particularly high-risk group. Accidents were the cause of 90% of the cases while lesions caused by animals (6%), deliberate violence (3%) and attempted suicide (1%) comprised the remainder. The pattern of the lesions was characterized by a great number of superficial lesions where the therapeutic consequences were limited. Fractures constituted 14% of the material while amputations and tendon and nerve lesions together constituted under 5%. Significantly more wounds and severe lesions such as amputations occurred in places of employment while accidents during leisure activities involved significantly more sprains and fractures of the bones of the hand. Four out of five cases did not require further treatment in hospital. 17% were followed-up as outpatients and only 3% of all patients with hand injuries required admission to hospital. In the fraction of the material from Aabenraa, the average sick leave was seven days and this could be correlated to some extent with the type of lesion. Occupational injuries were associated with significantly more prolonged sick leave.