title: Foreign body penetrations of hand and wrist: a retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite significant practical knowledge and experience on foreign body penetration injuries to the hand and/or wrist, deficient management and complications can still be encountered, and ignorance of its causative and eventual social aspects unfortunately is a substantial fact. This study aims to cover the clinical and social properties and the management of these kinds of injuries.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis of 86 patients requiring evaluation and treatment in a Hand Surgery Division of a university hospital was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median age was 32 (min: 4, max: 63). Industrial workers constituted the largest occupational group (n=22, 25.6%). Twenty-three (26.7%) of the cases were elective admissions. Thirteen (15.1%) patients had various comorbidities, and five (5.8%) had psychiatric diagnoses at the time of the injury. The index finger was the most frequent site of injury (n=29, 33.7%). General anesthesia was not necessary for the management of 94.2% of the cases. In 26 (30%) of the patients, neural, tendinous or osseous damage was observed. Twenty-four (30%) patients were included in a postoperative hand physiotherapy program.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The practically well-known general features of the issue and those aspects that may still be overlooked currently are reevaluated herein, in light of our observational data.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, İstanbul University, İstanbul Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey. emrehocaoglu@gmail.com
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hocaoğlu
authors.forename: Samet Vasfi
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Kuvat
authors.forename: Burhan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Özalp
authors.forename: Anvar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akhmedov
authors.forename: Yunus
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Doğan
authors.forename: Erol
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kozanoğlu
authors.forename: Fethi Sarper
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Mete
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Erer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005547:Foreign Bodies / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014950:Wounds, Penetrating / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D014954:Wrist Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult