Secondary repair of digital flexor tendons in outpatient clinic.

A total of 32 digits, including 3 thumbs, were reconstructed in an outpatient clinic. The patients were allowed to go home 3-4 hours after the operation. The patients had injury to the flexor tendon in no man's land without other complications except for an injury to the digital nerve in 6 cases. The tendon was reconstructed secondarily using a free graft. The minimum follow-up time was 6 months. The results were classified in three ways. With all methods the results, which were deemed satisfactory in 79% and poor in 21%, reached the average standard for this type of repair. Increasing age of the patients, injury to the pulley, preoperative adhesions, digital nerve injury, and time elapsed from injury to surgery impaired the results. This study indicates that tendon surgery of the hand with short postoperative care can also be conducted with satisfactory results in an outpatient clinic.