title: Patterns of finger amputation and replantation in the setting of a rapidly growing immigrant population.
abstract: To determine the incidence of finger amputation and replantation in North Carolina (NC) and to identify patterns of injury by race and immigration status. Finger amputation injury data were obtained from the NC hospital discharge database. Hospital discharge data were linked to 2000 US Census data by zip code of residence to estimate median income, the percentage of Hispanics, and the percent foreign-born. A total of 556 admissions for finger amputations (86% male, 14% female) occurred in NC during 2004-2006. The most common mechanism was industrial machinery (36%). Eighty-nine replantations were performed (16%). Finger amputation is a common work-related injury in NC. The rate of replantation appeared to be higher in zip codes with a higher density of Hispanics and with a higher density of immigrants. More data on injury that includes racial/ethnic, social, and economic information will be critical to understand the true burden of injury on immigrants.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7195, USA.
authors.forename: Nadezhda
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gavrilova
authors.forename: Aram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harijan
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schiro
authors.forename: Charles Scott
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hultman
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000062:Accidents, Occupational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000673:Amputation, Traumatic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000601:surgery*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D005383:Finger Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000601:surgery*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D012092:Replantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors