title: Evidence-Based Management Of Acute Hand Injuries In The Emergency Department.
abstract: Although injuries of the hand are infrequently life-threatening, they are common in the emergency department and are associated with significant patient morbidity and medicolegal risk for physicians. Care of patients with acute hand injury begins with a focused history and physical examination. In most clinical scenarios, a diagnosis is achieved clinically or with plain radiographs. While most patients require straightforward treatment, the emergency clinician must rapidly identify limb-threatening injuries, obtain critical clinical information, navigate diagnostic uncertainty, and facilitate specialist consultation, when required. This review discusses the clinical evaluation and management of high-morbidity hand injuries in the context of the current evidence.
authors.affiliation: Section of Emergency Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: W Talbot
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.affiliation: Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Section of Emergency Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Slaven
mesh_terms: D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans