International surgery: causes of hand injuries in a developing country.

BACKGROUND

In emerging economies such as Nigeria, trauma and hand injuries in particular are on the rise. The aim of this study was to document the causes of hand injuries in Nigeria.

METHODS

This was a prospective study conducted between Aug. 1, 2006, and July 31, 2007. We obtained objective information about patient demographic data, occupation, dominant and injured hand, and place and cause of injury. We assessed injury severity using the Hand Injury Severity Score (HISS).

RESULTS

A total of 74 patients with hand injuries were included. The male:female ratio was 1.8:1, and the average age was 26.9 years. Most patients were right-hand dominant, and 56.8% of injuries affected the dominant hand. Engineers and technicians represented 27% of patients with hand injuries, which was the largest group encountered during the study. Most cases occurred because of road traffic injuries, followed by machine injuries. Injuries commonly occurred at the work place and on the road. In total, 57.1% of patients with mechanical injuries were admitted to hospital. The majority received minor surgical treatment, and 16.2% had a digit amputated. The average HISS was 54.35. In total, 64.8% of the injuries were classified as minor or moderate. Sixty percent of admissions were patients with a HISS of severe or major injury.

CONCLUSION

Hand injury in this part of the world is commonly due to road traffic collisions and machine accidents, and the injuries are usually severe. Hand injuries are commonly seen among technicians and civil or public servants; these people constitute the economic work force.