Rolling belt injuries in children.

The rolling belts on agricultural machinery attract children who unconsciously grab them. The injuries produced include friction burns, injuries to flexor tendons, digital nerves and arteries, skin in zone 2 and fractures. Subtotal or total amputation may occur. We present the results of such injuries to 44 fingers in 16 children aged 1 to 9. The functional results are not satisfactory. In order to grade the results we have devised a classification to this injury. The survival rate for all fingers was 71%, but in the fingers with circulatory problems the survival rate was 50%. On functional assessment seven patients had a good result, seven moderate, and two fair.