[Characteristics of pediatric hand injuries followed up in a hand rehabilitation unit].

BACKGROUND To establish the characteristics of patients in pediatric age who have been referred to hand rehabilitation center since 1998. METHODS The patients were screened retrospectively and those within 0-16 age range were included into the study (178 patients; 126 males [70.8%], 52 females [29.2]; mean age 10.33+/-4.45; range 0 to 16 years). Demographic data, causes and locations of injury and follow-up period (week) were recorded. RESULTS Mean duration of application for rehabilitation was 5.4+/-0.7 weeks. Only 99 (55.6%) patients could be followed-up for a period more than 4 weeks (20.8+/-22.2 weeks). Types of injuries were categorized as accidental (n=133; 74.7%), intentional (n=29; 16.3%) and congenital (n=15; 8.4%). Accidents were related to domestic (n=109; 61.2%) and environmental causes (n=53; 29.8%). The most frequent domestic accident was glass injury and fall accident. The regions in order of decreasing frequency were wrists, metacarpal bones, proximal phalanges, forearms, elbows, plexus, mid-phalanges, total hands, shoulders, total arm and bilateral hands. Fourth digit was the most frequently injured digit. The most common types of injuries were as followings: flexor tendon cut (44.5%), nerve cut and arterial injuries, fractures and burn contractures. CONCLUSION Hand injuries occurred mostly in male children, the most frequent type injury was accidental domestic injury of the wrist flexor tendon caused by broken glass fragments and the most frequently injured digit was the 4th and adherence of the patients to the follow-up protocol was unsatisfactory since majority of referrals were out-of-towners.