Making the Best of a Bad Situation: Case Report of a Nonreplantable Four-finger Amputation with Flap Coverage and Partial Hand Prosthesis Utilization

Abstract

Partial hand amputations (PHA) are amputations occurring distal to the wrist and can involve the complete or partial loss of the thumb, digits, and/or transmetacarpal regions. 1 The functional and psychosocial impacts from the loss of either hand at any level cannot be understated. Some of the consequences of experiencing a PHA include negative perceptions of wholeness, limitations in independence, altered social interactions, and difficulty maintaining employment. [2][3][4] Partial hand prostheses may greatly mitigate these limitations when reconstructive routes are unfeasible or inadequately restore hand form and function. 1 Using SCARE criteria, 5 we present a case of a 30-year-old warehouse worker who sustained degloving amputations of digits 2-5 through the proximal phalanges. Multidisciplinary collaboration facilitated a successful fitting with a partial hand prosthesis that improved hand form and function. CASE REPORTA previously healthy, right-hand dominant, 30-year-old man presented to our trauma 1 hospital for a crush avulsion injury to the left hand after being caught between two industrial rollers at work. The patient's previous medical history was noncontributory, and his social history was negative for tobacco or recreational drug use. The left hand showed substantial degloving with amputation of the index through small fingers through the proximal Related Digital Media are available in the full-text version of the article on www.PRSGlobalOpen.com.